Инстаграм Джулианн Мур (Julianne Moore)

Thank you President @joebiden for your service and decades of leadership. And for leading the strongest gun safety administration in US history.

My #WomenCrushWednesday this week is Sharline Brown, a gun violence survivor and activist from the Midlands of South Carolina.Sharline is a volunteer with @BeSMARTforKids, a campaign that aims to prevent suicides, school shootings, and unintentional shootings by children and teens by promoting secure firearm storage. Sharline was drawn to this work following the death of her brother, Willie “Will” Henry Manning Jr., who was shot and killed nine years ago yesterday. In her words, “I turned my pain into a purpose and a passion–and that passion is Be SMART.”Sharline joined her local Be SMART program in 2019 and has been integral to its success ever since, promoting secure gun storage all throughout the greater Columbia metropolitan area. In a TV interview, Sharline shared some of her more recent work with the campaign, including a partnership with twenty Midlands-area barber shops to offer free gun locks as well as efforts to recruit more Be SMART volunteers through her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta.Sharline contributes her group’s success to the support of her community. “I would like to share this recognition with my fellow volunteer leaders Merie Mirosavich and Sarah Venn. My team would not be able to carry out our important work without the unwavering support of our volunteers, community leaders, and valued partners. We understand that by joining forces as a community, we can make a significant impact in ensuring the safety of our community through awareness and education.”Thank you, Sharline, for honoring your brother with your action, and thank you to all the #WCWs working to keep our children safe. To watch the full interview, check the link in my bio, and learn more about @BeSMARTforKids by texting SMART to 644-33.

This week’s #WomanCrushWednesday is Alexis Gevanter (@alexis.gevanter) of New York, NY. On October 1, 2017, Alexis was at home with her six-month-old son as news broke of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. As she watched in horror, holding her baby tight, Alexis knew it was time to act.After spending years as a corporate litigator, she became a full-time volunteer with @MomsDemand and is now their New York chapter’s State Leader, having previously served as the Connecticut chapter’s State Leader and Federal Legislative Lead.Last month, Alexis and over 200 other volunteers with @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand rallied and met with legislative leadership at the State Capitol in Albany to advocate for several life-saving gun safety measures in New York, including bills that would hold the gun industry accountable, require schools to provide secure gun storage information to parents and students, and require that lockdown drills in New York State schools adopt a trauma-informed approach.Reflecting on her pivot to gun safety advocacy, Alexis shares, “It is an honor to work alongside other concerned parents, students, citizens, and especially survivors, who bravely stand up to the gun lobby and advocate tirelessly to make electoral, legislative, and cultural change. If you are like me, and you squeeze your children extra-tight before they head to school each morning, please join us in this fight.”To join Alexis and @MomsDemand, text READY to 644-33. #wcw.

Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15—just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. After her death, Hadiya’s friends and family asked us to stand up, speak out, and wear orange to raise awareness about gun violence. Since then, orange has been the defining color of the gun violence prevention movement.This year, we once again unite in our call to end gun violence as we come together for Wear Orange. We honor the communities shattered by gun violence alongside the more than 120 people who are shot and killed, and hundreds more who are wounded, every day in our country. Together, we call for meaningful action to save lives.We should not have to live in fear that gunfire can ring out at any moment. We deserve more. Raise awareness by participating in Wear Orange online and in your community. #wearorange Please post a photo of yourself wearing orange and tag me and I will repost on my stories. @everytown @momsdemand @studentsdemand ????????????????????????

This week’s #WomanCrushWednesday is Beoncia Loveless (@beoncialoveless) from Marietta, Georgia. As one of the Georgia chapter’s Be SMART leads, Beoncia is passionate about spreading awareness on how secure gun storage—storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition—can save children’s lives.Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in America, and every year 350 children who gain access to a firearm unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. With her 20-year background as a Death Investigator for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Beoncia has dealt with countless cases involving child deaths and injuries. While the work can be difficult, Beoncia is driven by stopping these preventable tragedies from happening.When it comes to children and gun safety, Beoncia says, “Most serious injuries and deaths among children are easily prevented with secure storage. We can make a difference!”Follow @besmartforkids to learn more about everyday actions you can take to keep children and communities safer through secure storage.

Oh Fabricio! Who knows what this it but I love it!@fabricioormonde

For this week’s #WomanCrushWednesday, I’d like to feature Erica Yamauchi (@lovealwayseri) from Honolulu, Hawai’i. Erica is a Volunteer Leader in the @momsdemand Hawai’i chapter and has been involved in the movement since Moms Demand Action was formed in 2012.Although Erica lived in Hawai’i as a child, she also spent some of her formative years in rural North Carolina. While a high school student there, one of Erica’s best friends was shot and killed after another friend gained access to a firearm. This tragic experience, along with having children of her own, has made her a strong advocate for secure gun storage. Reflecting on why this is important to her, Erica says, “When I started a family…I realized how much we have chosen to normalize everyday gun violence in our lives. That’s when I decided to be part of this movement.”With 60% of gun deaths in Hawai’i being by firearm suicide, Erica brings her background and experience in trauma-informed care as Director of Communications and Engagement in the Office of Wellness and Resilience in Hawai’i’s Governor’s Office (@govhawaii) to the gun violence prevention movement. Her passion and dedication to saving lives has made her one of the Hawai’i chapter’s longest-serving volunteers, playing an integral role in growing the chapter’s base and community partnerships.“It’s been an incredible experience to see our informal, mostly online group of concerned citizens morph into an organized statewide chapter across several islands here in Hawai’i,” she said.As we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Heritage Month this May, I am honored to uplift Erica’s story and her tireless work to save lives in Hawai’i.

Meet Jamie Oberheu (@oberheuj) of Waterloo, Iowa: a second-grade teacher, @momsdemand local lead, and this week’s #WomanCrushWednesday. Jamie, with 15 years of teaching experience and a fervent commitment to gun safety, found her advocacy propelled into greater significance when, last Friday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds discreetly signed a dangerous bill into law. This legislation grants all school employees the ability to carry firearms within schools with qualified immunity, despite significant opposition from the people of Iowa. This decision, which follows a mass shooting at Perry High School, has stirred Jamie to speak out: “As a result of this tragedy, our governor and state legislators are passing a bill that arms teachers and school personnel. This is absurd: allowing more guns will not remove guns from schools. It makes it even more dangerous.”The decision made in Iowa is deeply upsetting —schools ought to foster an environment of education and growth, not one tainted by fear and violence. Jamie’s choice to join Moms Demand Action reflects her refusal to accept the status quo of school shootings and reckless policies. Instead, she took action by becoming a local chapter lead, educating her community through @besmartforkids, and participating in and completing the Demand a Seat program to become a Gun Sense Candidate.Jamie’s dedication, along with that of many others in Iowa, who are speaking out against the shortcomings of their elected officials, is truly inspiring. Let’s stand with them by texting IOWA to 644-33, demonstrating that we refuse to accept this decision and are committed to voting for school safety in November.