Ostfeld calls for equal protection as gun violence takes its toll on Black commuities

June 27, 2022 Parents magazine

"Black Children Are Disproportionately Hurt By Gun Violence," Parents magazine reports. Many causes are cited, including drug wars, low-income areas flooded with guns, and deeper societal attitudes about the Black community and guns. 

Mara Ostfeld, associate faculty director and director of communications at Poverty Solutions noted, "For a large part of our nation's history, Black Americans were denied the right to own guns—even when they were actively being threatened, lynched, and terrorized." 

"This context is important because it highlights that gun violence in Black communities is very much rooted in the municipal, state, and federal institutions that have failed to protect Black Americans and often actively harmed them," Ostfeld said. "To address gun violence in Black communities [today], we need to first ensure that we are providing all Americans equal protection under the law."