Program Note

reaching|failing was inspired by the horrific loss of life in our country every year from gun violence. My family was affected by this struggle when my grandmother was killed in a mass shooting near Detroit in early 2000, which forever changed my view on the preciousness and fragility of life. It is beyond my comprehension that people are killed in our neighborhoods daily. They are gunned down at concerts, churches, synagogues, and at work. Our children are not safe in their schools. It is infuriating that gun violence disproportionately affects religious minorities and people of color. And yet we are unable to create change because of dark money and the politics of fear and ostracization.

Our laws need to change. We all need to demand that the people who represent us actually do so by passing and enforcing significantly more restrictive gun legislation. People are dying—stories and loved ones and personalities are lost every day. We have to stop this cycle of reaching for solutions when we’re outraged, resuming everyday life, and failing to create meaningful change.