An Open Letter About Recent Mass Shootings from National President Kornisha McGill Brown

It is with a very heavy heart that we extend our condolences and our prayers to the families impacted by another mass shooting in our nation.

Again. In one week, our country has experienced two devastating mass shootings.

One in Buffalo, NY at a Tops Grocery Store in a predominantly African American neighborhood where 10 people were killed. Yesterday’s tragedy in Uvalde, Texas at Robb Elementary School where 19 children and two teachers lost their lives. The latter is the second deadliest school shooting in our nation’s history; eerily reminiscent of school massacres in the past. The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting nearly 10 years ago is still etched in our memories.

In Jack and Jill of America, our focus is on children and families. Mothers, parents, guardians, and families, I feel your hearts. When we send our children to school or our loved ones make a seemingly routine trip to the grocery store, we expect them to come home. These should be safe spaces in America. But today, there are families who are in shock and reeling from grief. Once again, we find ourselves facing a situation that no parent, child, or citizen should ever have to be in. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Educators, my thoughts are also with you. Every day you make sacrifices for children. When challenging circumstances arise, you have the responsibility of comforting worried families while overcoming your own thoughts, concerns, and fears. Additionally, your families care about your well-being. So, I want to thank you for your service and let you know that I am praying for you.

Call to Action

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I am urging you to check on our children. We cannot overlook the fact that both shooters in these most recent massacres were 18-year-olds. There have also been more than 40 school shootings this year. Children and teenagers are facing pressures that some of us would never know following the pandemic, effects of social media, and so many other daily pressures. Please monitor your children’s and others’ mental wellness, consult qualified mental health professionals when needed, and resources for support. Here is information from Jack and Jill partner, The SonRise Project, as well as the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

I also hope our nation and lawmakers can unite to put adequate safety measures in place. More must be done to protect our children, and we must advocate for their safety. Our children are living in constant fear in spaces where they should always feel safe. According to the New York Times, ”On an average day in the U.S., more than 35 people are murdered with a gun. No other affluent country in the world has a gun homicide rate nearly as high.” The gun violence and mass shootings across America must stop and we must continue to advocate for safety.

As we reflect on our mental health as mothers, let us make sure to support each other, reach out to each other and embrace our children and loved ones even stronger. Take the needed time to process all of this and speak with our children to make them feel as safe and protected as possible during these very unpredictable times. We have the power to make a difference and will continue to do all that we can to be the voice and advocates for all children, on mission and on purpose.

For the Children,

Kornisha McGill Brown - 27th National President, Jack and Jill of America, Inc.