webinar register page

Topic

Gun Safety in Our Communities - Shannon Watts, Pastor Brenda Mitchell, and Heidi Stevens

Description

Reeling from the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and determined to stem the tide of school shootings, Shannon Watts launched the grass-roots advocacy group Moms Demand Action as a Facebook group the next day from her kitchen table. Over the next decade, Watts traveled the country advocating for stronger gun laws and other public safety measures that protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action has chapters in every state and Washington, D.C., and is now part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country, with nearly 10 million supporters. A mother of five, Watts has held a front-row seat to the human stories and harrowing statistics that shape America’s complex relationship with guns.

Brenda Mitchell is a Chicago-based ordained minister and grief counselor who lost her 31-year-old son, Kenneth, when he was shot and killed outside a bar — one week after his younger brother left for his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. Since Kenneth’s death in 2005, Mitchell has worked as a gun violence prevention advocate, serving as a Moms Demand Action in Illinois chapter lead, a Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network, and a volunteer with the Chicago Mayor's Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Watts and Mitchell will be in conversation with Chicago-based writer Heidi Stevens, Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health.

This event will be recorded and available later on the FAN website and our YouTube channel.

NOTE: FAN collects registration data to inform event planning.

Time

Feb 9, 2023 07:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)

Webinar is over, you cannot register now. If you have any questions, please contact Webinar host: FAN.

All fields are required

Your Information
Send to
Message preview	Hi there, You are invited to a Zoom webinar. When: Feb 9, 2023 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Topic: Gun Safety in Our Communities - Shannon Watts, Pastor Brenda Mitchell, and Heidi Stevens Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WS5aOvPEQFWlE3bRJGE4RA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. ---------- Webinar Speakers Shannon Watts (Founder, Moms Demand Action @https://momsdemandaction.org/shannon-watts/) Shannon Watts is the founder and a full-time volunteer with the nation’s largest grassroots group fighting against gun violence, Moms Demand Action. Prior to founding Moms Demand Action, Watts was a stay-at-home mother of five and former communications executive at Fortune 100 companies. The day after the Sandy Hook School mass shooting tragedy, Watts started a Facebook group to unite women against the gun lobby as Mothers Against Drunk Driving united mothers against the alcohol lobby in the 1980s. That online conversation turned into a grassroots movement with a chapter in every state and, together with its partner Everytown for Gun Safety, now has nearly 10 million supporters. For ten years, Moms Demand Action volunteers have helped pass hundreds of gun safety laws across the country, changed corporate policies, and educated Americans about secure gun storage. This grassroots movement also helped pass the first gun safety bill in 26 years, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Pastor Brenda Mitchell (State Chapter Co-Leader for Moms Demand Action in Illinois and a Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network @https://momsdemandaction.org/my-son-served-our-country-in-afghanistan-but-his-brother-died-by-gun-violence-here-at-home/) Brenda Mitchell is the State Chapter Co-Leader for Moms Demand Action in Illinois and a Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network. In 2005, Mitchell’s 31-year-old son, Kenneth, was shot and killed outside a bar one week after his younger brother Kevin left for his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. A single parent, Kenneth left behind 3 sons. Since her son’s death, Mitchell has become a dedicated advocate for gun violence prevention with an emphasis on trauma. She serves on the Everytown Faith Advisory Council (she is an ordained pastor), is a complicated grief counselor, and holds certification as a mindfulness counselor. In addition to her work with Everytown, she is an active member with the gun violence advocacy organization Purpose Over Pain, headquartered in the South Side of Chicago. She has also volunteered as a survivor on a committee with the Mayor's Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Heidi Stevens (Chicago-based writer and Director of External Affairs for UChicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health @https://www.familyactionnetwork.net/speaker/heidi-stevens/) Heidi Stevens is a Chicago-based writer and the Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, which works to provide parents, caregivers and communities the knowledge and tools to optimize foundational brain development in all children. Prior to joining University of Chicago, Stevens worked at the Chicago Tribune for 23 years, where she wrote a daily column called “Balancing Act.” She was awarded the Anne Keegan Award for Distinguished Journalism in 2018. Stevens maintains a nationally syndicated column once a week. She has served on the FAN board of directors since September 2021. Event Sponsors, A-L Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Brickton Montessori School, Catherine Cook School, Chicago Jewish Day School, Compass Health Center, Countryside Day School, Evanston Scholars, Evanston Township High School D202, Family Service Center, Francis W. Parker School, Glencoe D35, Gorton Center, Haven Youth and Family Services, Hyde Park Day School, Lake Bluff D65, Lake Forest Country Day School, Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools, Leo Catholic High School. Event Sponsors, M-Z Magnetar Capital, Morgan Park Academy, New Trier High School D203, New Trier Parents' Association, North Shore Country Day, Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, Rebel Human, Regina Dominican High School, Rogers Park Montessori School, Roycemore School, Sacred Heart Schools, Santa Clara University School of Law, Science & Arts Academy, Stevenson High School D125, The Alliance for Early Childhood, The Avery Coonley School, The Cove School, The Family Institute at Northwestern University, The Frances Xavier Warde School, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Parents' Association, Wilmette Public Library, Winnetka D36, Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District, Wintrust Financial.

Time Zone:

webinar register page

Share via Email

Switch Time Zone

Upcoming Meetings