Gun Violence Prevention Advocate
My mother Joyce died by suicide with a gun when I was 20 months old. That is not a talking point. It is not a campaign story. It is my life. Every day since then has been shaped by that absence.
Gun violence prevention
Everytown for Gun Safety fellow
Worked alongside survivors, organizers, and policy advocates to advance common-sense gun legislation at the state and federal level. Used my personal story to put a human face on the statistics.
Moms Demand Action
Speaker and organizer at events across Wisconsin. Stood with other survivors and volunteers to demand action from elected officials.
DNC Convention speaker (2016 & 2020)
Shared my family's story on the national stage. Spoke about my mother Joyce, about growing up without her, and about the urgent need for gun violence prevention.
Congressional candidate (WI-5, 2016)
Ran for Congress in Wisconsin's 5th District on a platform that centered gun violence prevention, economic opportunity, and healthcare access. Did not win the seat, but brought the conversation to thousands of voters.
March for Our Lives, 2018
Weeks after the Parkland school shooting, I stood at the March for Our Lives rally in Madison, Wisconsin. I spoke as a DNC representative, an Everytown for Gun Safety Fellow, a Moms Demand Action volunteer, a WAVE board member, a father, and a Black man in America.
I named the people our headlines forget. A five-year-old girl killed sitting on her grandfather's lap in Milwaukee. A thirteen-year-old boy shot by a stray bullet blocks from his home. My own mother Joyce, who completed suicide with a gun when I was 20 months old. I talked about zip code 53206, the most incarcerated in America, just minutes from where we stood.
Today we march, but in November we vote.
Political service
DNC Representative, Wisconsin
Served six years as a DNC representative, advocating for progressive policy and party reform at the national level.
Biden Presidential Elector
Served as a presidential elector for Joe Biden in Wisconsin.
Clinton Presidential Elector
Served as a presidential elector for Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin.
Congressional Candidate, WI-5
Ran a grassroots campaign focused on economic opportunity, gun violence prevention, and healthcare.
Former board service
- Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE)
Stepping back from board service was a deliberate choice to prioritize my own wellbeing. I am proud of the work I did and I support these organizations from the outside now.
Speaking
I speak about gun violence prevention, survivor advocacy, leadership, resilience, and building through adversity. My talks draw from nearly three decades of building businesses and a lifetime of turning personal loss into public action.
- Surviving gun violence: a personal story
- Leadership through adversity
- Building organizations from the ground up
- Advocacy as action: turning loss into impact
- Mental health and knowing when to step back
