Welcome to Here4TheKids
We are an education movement dedicated to abolition and confronting global systems of oppression, such as guns and fossil fuels, to create an equitable world for ourselves and future generations.
We cultivate community around our need to:
- Abolish tools of systemic oppression.
- Normalize and formalize talking about white supremacy.
- Uplift the lived experiences and insights of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.
- Empower white people to recognize and utilize their privilege.
Our origins
On June 5, 2023, Here4TheKids organized a sit-in of white women from around the country to call on Colorado Governor Jared Polis to sign an Executive Order to ban guns and implement a statewide buyback program.
This action was led by Tina Strawn and Saira Rao, Black and South-Asian mothers, and honored the six hundred Black civil rights leaders and peaceful demonstrators who began their journey from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 and their sacrifice and efforts, which led to The Voting Rights Act of 1965.
While acknowledging everyone’s agency, the action acknowledged that white women are the least likely to be brutalized by the police and hold multiple intersections of privilege and power – and thus respectfully asked white women to put their bodies on the ground for our Denver event, as marginalized communities have always done and continue to do.
There was a corresponding remote campaign, which was an accessible and safe opportunity to take direct action and center the voices of those who are most at risk for gun violence at the hands of white supremacy.
This unique and momentous action was endorsed by several public figures and celebrities, and covered by more than 125 local, national, and international press outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, NBC News, ABC News, and Huffington Post.
After the impact of our Denver action, Here4TheKids announced another action, yet soon realized the world had again shifted and that people were fearful of speaking out. It was then that Here4TheKids pivoted to become an education movement dedicated to abolition and confronting global systems of oppression, such as guns and fossil fuels, to create an equitable world for ourselves and future generations.
