Page 34 - 2021-bfw-shea-all-2e

5

Changing the World
This image has been omitted intentionally in this sample chapter.

The anger we felt after February 14 may have 10 assembled there, an armed man asked me why
been our initial adrenaline in this marathon, but I wanted to take his gun away. I told him that
love and compassion will be what keep us going. I didn’t, and that members of my family owned
We won’t reach everybody — some people will guns. A larger group gathered around, both
have no interest in hearing our perspective, and people with guns and people without, and ninety
that’s okay. But we will reach a lot more people minutes later, after a sometimes contentious,
than have been reached in the past, when all sometimes very emotional conversation, that man
sides have been stuck in their well-dug trenches, thanked us for helping him understand why we
hurling rocks and mortars at each other. are doing what we are doing. It was as if he had
And in this spirit, sure enough, around never experienced an honest exchange of ideas
Independence Day, our Road to Change tour before. It was as if he had never been accorded
found itself in Dallas, Texas, a proud place of that level of respect for his thoughts. We thanked
independent-minded people who like to openly the man in return.
carry their weapons in public places, but who also In the days after that encounter, a few stories
live in a state where a majority — 51 percent — appeared in the press. One headline read:
favor more commonsense gun laws. And even “Parkland students and gun owners got into a
more Texans than that favor universal background heated debate that ended in tears and hugs.”
checks. In Texas. As we were doing everywhere, Of all the headlines in this terribly sad and
we were in Dallas to talk and to listen. As several of wondrous year, that headline just might be
us stepped outside the venue where our rally was my favorite.
taking place to meet the protesters who had Onward.
18
Copyright © Bedford/St. Martin’s. Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample chapter.
Distributed by BFW Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.

sheaall2e_24428_ch05_002_095.indd 18 09/07/20 5:30 PM