As is depressingly common, several people have been injured and killed due to gun violence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Countless others have been traumatized by the terror they felt during the incident. Worse, the damage to us all is cumulative: all who work in education, students, and their families throughout the country are left with anxiety and fear, unable to feel the sense of safety we all need to thrive, and wondering when their campus will be the target. This is the 80th school shooting this year; that fear should surprise no one in the face of such a bleak statistic.
We send our deepest sympathies and love to all impacted by this assault, knowing that sympathies and love mean little without action.
As education workers, this is a moment when our membership can work together for real solutions to the epidemic of gun violence in schools and colleges, as well as in places of faith, shopping centers, childcare centers, and our communities more broadly. In the upcoming legislative session, we will be working with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility to advance laws proven to reduce gun violence. You can stay informed by signing up for our Legisletter here.
At the same time, we know that workers are well positioned to develop the measures that will make their workplaces safer. We encourage you to raise the subject of safety at your workplace with your union and to urge your employer to create the opportunity for your school, center, or college community members to come together and build the solutions needed. Solutions to this crisis are possible, and we can contribute to build them in meaningful ways.
Finally, as an AFT member you have access to trauma counseling as one of your union benefits. If the need arises you can find out more about that resource here.
Please take care of yourself and those around you - our solidarity and community can be a source of comfort and strength in the face of tragedy, and our action together can create change that ends the cycle of fear.