Every day there’s reason to lose hope. A new tragedy, a new MAGA diversion, a new Clarence Thomas bribe. It’s hard not to give into the despair, as we’ve talked about often here. My conversation with Abby Kisicki, a gen Z organizer, singlehandedly pumped up my spirits, my faith in the next generation, and my perennial belief that hope itself is an action, not an emotion. This episode is dropping early this week b/c I’m off to our nation’s capital for my eldest nephew’s high school graduation this week and a visit with all of my immediate family.
I found this conversation to be truly valuable. When I first talked to Abby a couple of months ago and she told me about surviving the Highland Park shooting, becoming an organizer, and running events for Newtown Action Alliance. And when I listened back before publishing this episode, I was blown away again. Wow, she’s a fabulous exemplar of a dedicated Gen Z activist organizing for real change for a life and death issue in this country. She also thinks the Biden administration ROCKS, and is dedicated to the proposition that we have to vote for the candidates at every level who can make real change.
Abby Kisciki, a Gen Z alumna of Arena Academy (check out Ep. 47 Lauren Baer, Mg Dir), is an organizer for Newtown Action Alliance and gun violence prevention. We talk about coping with hope, and using hope responsibly, especially in gun violence prevention. Abby started getting involved in political advocacy as a college student and, after surviving the Highland Park shooting, she became active in gun violence prevention advocacy, hosting Zoom action sessions from her home in Chicago.
https://www.newtownactionalliance.org/
https://arena.run/
Coping with Hope. 58 Abby Kisicki, Gun Violence Prevention Organizer