Hey everybody, Jim Hatmaker here, your host of the For the Love podcast. Welcome to the show. It's a big one today guys. We are in a series called for the love of being seen and heard.

We've had really some profound conversations in this particular series with a group of really extraordinary people who are using their voices and their experiences to help others.

See and hear and understand some really vitally important issues in the world right now. I think the inability to see here, listen or understand, extends like almost like a cultural plague right now.

Right. And we can fill in the blank on the other side of that whatever that marginalized group might be who are still like grappling for their correct and rightful place, whether it's like LGBTQIA folks or mental health like crises and anti racism inequality in the workplace, you know it goes on and on.

And then for the purpose of today's episode, there is a brave courageous, sturdy group of people who have taken to the streets in the name of justice because they are heartbroken and angry about the constant gun violence in our country.

And they are refusing to sit by their advocating for change so they've raised our voices and said things like I can't breathe and they've said things like say her name and they are looking to prevent tragedies like the ones that constantly happen constantly you've all the Colorado Memphis Nashville Monterey Park just this year.

We're not a half a year into 2023 and there have been more than 260 mass shootings in America.

So you know me, if you follow me over on my personal socials, but I have cycled through I have all the fury to spare anger over our American gun culture, our obsession with guns and particularly our legislators refusal to really make any meaningful changes changes by the way that we are pretty unanimous on as a constituency like across party lines.

To some of these just kind of common sense gun responsibility measures, it continues to be endless mass shootings and I just keep wondering how many I mean what's the number what's the number, how many gun deaths, what number does it, well, it matter, what number can we get our legislators to budge, how many elementary schools need to be shot up, what's the number, how many targeted LGBTQIA shootings do we have to what's the number, what's the magic number.

So despite how bleak things sometimes look in the aftermath of yet another act of gun violence, there are people who are tirelessly fighting for change they are and they're they're mattering change can happen in ways big and small it is happening that's because it's not going to just happen of its own momentum it is because people join this fight.

Then they march and they get on their knees in front of Congress and beg them to care about dead children in schools and they organize and they register voters and they campaign and they just refuse to give up our next guest today is one of them one of those fearless leaders we have Gloria Pan today on the show she's an activist she is the vice president for moms rising so.

Moms rising exists and has existed to take on the most critical issues facing women and mothers and families okay by educating the public mobilizing massive grassroots action to create change and so one of the tent poles of their advocacy is to accelerate impact on Capitol Hill and state capitals to affect legislative change for families and families.

And children around gun safety. So Gloria is the head of that initiative and she's made her voice heard all of the place CNN Los Angeles Times NPR all kinds of media platforms just to nation she smart I learned I learned something today she introduced a dialogue around the second amendment today that I really hadn't heard and it really gave me pause and it is a different.

I'm very excited for you to listen to this conversation I hope it is informative and helpful and even hopeful because there is hope even now even yet so I'm so grateful for her and her time today I'm so pleased to share my conversation with the amazing Gloria Pan.

Gloria I am so glad to meet you I've been looking forward to meeting you and for all that you are about to bring to the table I want to say thank you in advance for your time and your energy toward this I am so glad you exist and glad about your work so thank you again for being here.

I'm very glad to be here Jen and so great to meet you so okay Gloria I've told my listeners just a little bit I high level for them kind of who you are and what it is that you do first can you just tell my community that this is who I am this is where I am these are my people this is my deal and then could you discuss just sort of the origin story of moms rising and what your involvement is and what inspired you just sort of on ramp here.

I'm a mom I live in the Washington DC area I've got two kids one of them is sleeping upstairs right now even though it's noon because of the adult.

For those of your listenership that are not familiar with moms rising let me just start there moms rising you know we are a national on the ground and online organization of more than a million moms and family members across the country who are founded I don't know 15 years ago on pocketbook issues things like family and medical leave fair pay for work.

And those continue to be our signature issues but over time we've become kind of the umbrella organization for the leading issues that are impacting families and in given moment.

So for example under the Obama administration we had a huge campaign fighting for access to healthcare and under the last administration we had a big campaign pushing back against family separation and for immigration reform.

You know we cover almost everything we touch on almost everything of course the violence prevention we did not do gun violence prevention until Sandy hook.

And you know how we sometimes hear people say where were you when John of Kennedy was assassinated well for many people you know I think it's legitimate to say where were you when Sandy who happened.

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