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In Their Own Words: How Remembering Loved Ones Lost to Gun Violence Inspires Action
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In Their Own Words: How Remembering Loved Ones Lost to Gun Violence Inspires Action

Faith Mata reflects on the difficult journey of finding her “why” after losing her sister in the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Gun Violence Prevention, Public Safety, +1 More

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Part of a Series

Faith Mata tragically lost her younger sister, Tess Marie Mata, during the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, that took the lives of 19 elementary school students and two educators. In this video, Faith remembers her sister and how, despite her grief, she became an advocate for gun violence prevention following her loss. Faith is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Boston University, which she hopes to use to continue her work advocating for fair, equitable, and essential victim services.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Chandler Hall

Associate Director, Gun Violence Prevention

Nick Wilson

Senior Director, Gun Violence Prevention

Producers

Olivia Mowry

Video Producer

Hai-Lam Phan

Managing Director, Creative

Team

Gun Violence Prevention

Our goal is to reduce gun violence by enacting strong gun laws, increasing investment in local solutions, and growing the movement dedicated to this mission.

Explore The Series

People attend a candlelight prayer vigil outside Immanuel Church .

Every day, 132 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are shot and wounded. That means that every 11 minutes, families and communities across the country are forever changed by gun violence.

To create healing, solidarity, and progress, we must listen to those affected directly by the gun violence epidemic. By bringing these stories to the forefront of our discussions on gun violence, we can highlight the specific needs of at-risk communities and advocate for a more informed and survivor-focused approach to building safer communities.

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