Jason,
I know how this moment feels.
Everyday, we're waking up to fresh chaos and louder headlines. The stakes are high, and even the people who care the most are exhausted. If you're feeling that burnout right now, you're not alone — and you're not wrong for feeling that way.
I experienced an extreme form of it after the midterm elections in 2018, following the shooting in Parkland. After the shooting, thousands of people (older adults in particular) said the same thing to the student activists from Parkland over and over: "You know my generation really screwed things up. Thank God you kids are here to save us." Many of us, including myself, took that to heart. I remember completely losing track of what day it was, working so hard to turn out and rally young people to vote to defeat the NRA. In those days, the only way I would let myself stop was if I was so ill I physically could not get out of bed. Then, in November, Democrats won back the House — but basically nothing changed. It was devastating. So the next year I traveled the country speaking with activists and community leaders who have been combatting gun violence for decades. From those conversations, and a lot of therapy, I learned the one thing that has enabled me to keep going 8 years later.
I realized how many people had been working to prevent gun violence for decades long before I was even born. From that I realized I can take breaks because when I am not working there are other people out there doing the work and when they need a break they can rest knowing myself and others are stepping up when they can't. That's why when the time came for me to go to college and step back from day-to-day activism, I knew I could. I knew I could step back when I saw people like my friend and gun violence prevention advocate, Maxwell Frost, step up, run for Congress, get elected, and play a major role in the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the White House.
And guess what…
In the two years of that office's existence — prior to Trump totally dismantling it — we saw the two largest one-year drops in gun homicides in our nation's history. That's the power of bringing young people into government who understand the experience of a school shooter drill.
That's why Leaders We Deserve exists. We aren't here to elect younger versions of those in power now, but to instead bring into power truly generational leaders who get results, like Maxwell Frost.
So if you are exhausted now, it's better to rest before you burn out. And you can rest knowing that there is a generation of new leaders we are supporting coming into power who can pick up the torch and get it to the finish line. But only with your support.
Thank you for staying in this fight even when it's hard.
— David
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