With everything else happening in January (state funerals, MLK Day, insurrection day…and Inauguration Day) one date got lost, somehow.
And it really should be closer to the top of the list: January 8.
When I returned to Tucson this past July, I was reminded of that day back in 2011. It was the day Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded and 6 others killed by a gunman at a “Congress on your Corner” event in Tucson. Among the dead was a 9-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green.
We took part of today, the 14th anniversary of this tragedy, to take a moment to remember those lost. We visited Christina-Taylor Green’s memorial park on the Northwest side of town. In our short visit we learned much about this young girl, her interests and accomplishments (at such a young age). But we also saw how a community comes together after just such an event in the tributes at the park as well as the civic outreach that came after (including Beyond, the parent group to our Meet Me community).
This date is as much a part of January as those other dates. And the event is a part of the fabric of Tucson as well.
I hope none of us ever has to experience an event like this. But I learned today how a community can come back from one.
Remembering the six.
Relentless
