It Takes Us: Stories of Gun Violence from Across America is a long-term project and series of traveling exhibits about the impact of gun violence on survivors, family members of victims, and witnesses to these horrific acts.
It began in the middle of 2014, right after a mass shooting near the University of California at Santa Barbara, when I noticed the then current issue of PEOPLE Magazine. The cover story was about a celebrity wedding and there was a small mention in the upper right corner about the incident... with a subhead saying, ‘Another school shooting: How could this happen - again?’. I was struck by both the naivety and irresponsibility of that language. ‘How could it NOT happen again?’ was my reaction - why should we be surprised when - despite gains made in recent years by the gun violence prevention movement, there had yet to be a collective shift in our national consciousness?
I realized that action was needed by more than just those personally affected by gun violence - and that I could no longer pay lip service to the urgency of reducing the over 38,000 senseless and preventable deaths that occur every year. So I set out to travel the country - to hear, photograph, and share diverse stories of grief, sadness, and lasting trauma. By shining a light on these brave people and by allowing viewers to feel emotionally connected to them (and to have them see their own family in the story of other families), I intend to create action that will lead to meaningful change.
