Everytown and Black Mental Health Alliance Call for Action to Address Community Trauma from Gun Violence Among Black Americans

Organizations Recommend Expanding Mental Health Resources, Community-Based Violence Prevention Programs, Restorative Justice Programs, Youth Jobs Programs and Efforts to Promote Police Accountability

NEW YORK — Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and the Black Mental Health Alliance today called for comprehensive action to address the toll of individual, family and community-level trauma from gun violence among Black Americans, who bear a disproportionate toll from shootings. Titled Invisible Wounds: Gun Violence and Community Trauma among Black Americans, today’s report details, among other subjects:

• The toll of direct and indirect exposure to violence on children
• How trauma from gun violence is compounded by structural, historical, and intergenerational violence
• Ways that persistent violence, even when not experienced directly, can complicate efforts to heal from trauma
• Specific policy recommendations, including investment in community-based interventions in neighborhoods that see high levels of gun violence 

“In the places it hits hardest, gun violence affects entire communities in ways both obvious and subtle. Whether direct or indirect, persistent exposure to violence creates ripple effects, and recognizing this community trauma is an essential step in addressing it and creating a safer future,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. “Throughout neighborhoods and across generations, structural and physical violence have taken a particularly heavy toll on Black Americans. As they fight gun violence, policymakers should prioritize investments and policy change that address its full toll, including community trauma.”

“To best support the health and well-being of Black people, we need to unearth the seeds sown into our communities by systemic racism that lead to outcomes like trauma,” said Nia Jones, LMSW, Youth and College Division Director of the Black Mental Health Alliance. “The communities in which we serve are depending on us to get this right. We cannot be silent, as lives hang in the balance.”

The report’s recommendations include:

• Developing culturally-affirming and equitable mental health resources 
• Funding community based violence intervention programs
• Investing in crime prevention through environmental design 
• Implementing restorative justice programs
• Expanding economic opportunities
• Holding law enforcement accountable to the communities they serve

Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, an arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, conducts independent, methodologically rigorous research, supports evidence-based policies, and communicates this knowledge to the public. The Black Mental Health Alliance develops, promotes, and sponsors trusted, culturally relevant education forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and their communities.