We moved to the U.S. from one of the most dangerous countries in the world, where my father was kidnapped at gunpoint and violence is the norm. Since we arrived, we experienced more violence. I first noticed it in how my father was treated for being an immigrant.
When I became a student in the U.S., I was punched by a racist, while students brought guns to school to store in lockers. My mother had a gun pulled on her while driving. In college, I was punched on the street by a stranger with a gun. I was also hit and raped by my roommate’s friend and then threatened to keep silent. My friend was beaten in public for being a lesbian. A family friend took their own life with a gun because he was gay. Back home, both a family member and a friend were brutally murdered. In graduate school, I was held hostage with a shotgun on campus. At my apartment, I was stalked/ threatened by a security guard because I wouldn’t date him.
The list goes on. The justice we will see about the white supremacist violence/gun violence we experienced is in our fight for change.