On August 21^st, 2013 my youngest son, Timothy, was hit by a stray bullet and killed during a shooting in Washington, DC. No one feels the pain of losing a child like a mother does, which is why I’ve dedicated my life to ending gun violence.

Last weekend I was honored to join dozens of other mothers, including those who have lost their own children to gun violence, at the CODEPINK Mothers Day Peace Festival in DC. It was a powerful day of expression, sharing and healing with music and art –– check out the photos here. We laughed, we cried, we hugged, and we opened our hearts to one another. We told stories of our personal losses and our work for justice and peace. 

Our friends at Brave New Films have made a powerful film called Making a Killing: Guns, Greed and the NRA that you can view and use as a community tool to play a role in changing the conversation around guns and violence in this country.

CODEPINK has set up a webpage with tools and resources you can use to host a screening of this film in your community. You can hold a house party viewing with your friends or a larger event at your organization, school, or place of worship. We have the power to guide the conversation on this issue and to promote peace within our communities. Also, if you would like to have a speaker who can share a personal story on the issues of senseless gun violence please contact us here: [email protected]

Visit our page to find out more information and become a force for peace in your community.

With thanks for all your work for peace,

Cynthia DeShola Dawkins
Timothy Dawkins-EL Project, Founder
Coalition of Concerned Mothers, Co-Founder

P.S. from the CODEPINK team: The mothers loved the flowers you bought them. Check out the video footage of the moms telling their heartbreaking stories and the audience gifting them roses at the end and circling them with love (around minute :49).