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Co-written by Bruce Franks

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The start of this year marks a time where we’ll usher in a new class of elected officials and prepare to vote for many more this fall — many from communities directly impacted by gun violence. Some are plagued by everyday gun violence routinely occurring with evil fervor. Some have experienced the evil of mass shootings in their communities. All worthy of recognition and validation.

The collective pain we share of losing our children, neighbors, loved ones and constituents must call us to act, to truly serve in the seats we were elected into and work together to make our communities more safe, and more just. If an infectious disease was affecting our loved ones at the rate that gun violence affects those in our communities, we wouldn’t just stand by and hope the issue resolves itself, so why should gun violence be any different? This is a public health crisis and we must prepare to address it as such.

This year, we invite fellow policymakers, new and old, to join us in the Policymakers for Peace Initiative. This network is an initiative is a project of the Community Justice Action Fund, focused on changing the conversation on gun violence prevention by leading with the people closest to the pain of everyday gun violence. As leaders of our families and our constituencies, we can no longer sit idly by and talk about curbing gun violence; it’s time to do something about it. We found our way into this work because of our own pain. Before becoming lawmakers, we watched those who represented us do nothing, so we chose to run for office and be a part of making change from the inside.

By listening to and hearing from people most affected by gun violence like us, we will focus on solutions that effectively tackle the root causes of that violence. Together we will create a space and platform to empower and build leaders of color working to create change in their communities. Through our collective efforts, we can support the passage and implementation of key policies at every level of government by building and supporting a nonpartisan national network of state and local policymakers of color to join us in this fight against gun violence. We want to help ensure the work remains rooted in the perspectives and experiences of people closest to the pain and closest to the issue. This unconventional network will be led by and centered around leaders who have been directly impacted by gun violence.

Later in the year, we’ll host conference calls and in-person meetings across the country to engage our communities through training, learning, and planning opportunities to collectively work toward ending gun violence. We are dedicated to ending gun violence while prioritizing and promoting peace in those communities most directly impacted.

Gun violence is a public health issue, a mental health issue, a community health issue and most certainly a policymaker's issue. Without addressing all of these aspects of gun violence, we will never truly be able to solve this epidemic. Our Policymakers for Peace Initiative calls on our fellow policymakers to join us in pursuing fully funded community-based solutions instead of criminalizing those most affected by gun violence. We know they work, we know it saves taxpayers money, and most importantly, we know these solutions keep our communities safe. 2020 can be the year change truly happens.

Neighborhood by neighborhood, state by state, and community by community, we’ll work to end gun violence, and we are starting this change on every level of government through Policymakers for Peace.

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Tishaura O. Jones is the Policymaker for Peace network chair and the elected treasurer of the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Bruce Franks is a former Missouri state representative, gun violence activist and organizer. St. Louis Superman, a documentary featuring his time in legislature, was recently nominated for an Oscar.

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