We know that guns kill thousands of American children every year. What we can’t begin to quantify is the toll this enormous loss has on families and communities. That’s why I’d like you to meet Princess Titus.
Princess lost her son Anthony shortly after he turned 16. Anthony wasn’t just a victim of gun violence, he was a vibrant young man with dreams and talents.
Below Princess shares her story. She also shares what we’re doing right in our work to keep kids safe from guns, and what we need to do better.
Please tell us about Anthony.
Princess Titus: Anthony was a hockey player. He was a dancer, a fly dresser and he loved cooking. Even at 16 years old, he didn’t have any cavities. He planted strawberries behind our house in a kiddie-sized swimming pool. It was like his version of a raised bed.
Anthony was in trigonometry as a freshman. He took a test at school that said he would be an architect, an engineer or an astronaut. He provided childcare for people in the community. They trusted Anthony with their children.
When I say all this about Anthony, people usually don’t imagine a Black child. Or a child that would be a victim of community gun violence. People often imagine him as a gangbanger.
How has Anthony’s loss impacted your life?
Princess Titus: On July 4, 2010, a group of us were walking up to see the fireworks in Minneapolis. Somebody got a phone call saying Anthony got shot. He was hit by a bullet intended for another child. It was like the life I thought I was going to live just soaked into the ground.
I was graduating from Metro State University with my urban teaching degree. I never returned to that path. I smoked six pounds of weed that year. Then when I shook myself out of the addiction, I was greeted in my backyard by a big kiddie-sized swimming pool full of strawberries. The strawberries come back every year.
Most of my healing happened by working in the soil. After Anthony passed, we started Appetite for Change [a nonprofit that “uses food to as a tool to build health, wealth, and social change in North Minneapolis”]. Today, one of our farms is right across the street from where Anthony transitioned. It’s my favorite farm.
Being the mother of a child who has been lost is not easy. You are expected to continue to live and like it. But it’s OK not to be OK. When you give yourself the space to not be OK, it can be prime real estate for growing through what you are going through.
Tell us about your work related to gun violence.
Princess Titus: Another group I co-founded, Standard Edition Women (SEW) provides grief circles and services for families impacted by gun violence. We focus on healing both individuals and the healers who serve them. We work with survivors of gun violence, either because they have a child who’s taken somebody’s life and they’re in prison, or because they themselves have lost a child to gun violence. We also bring in Black Family Blueprint to train families about gun safety.
When it comes to protecting children from gun violence in our community, what are we doing right?
Princess Titus: We’re still having conversations. We haven’t given up. We have declared gun violence a public health issue. And it’s a conversation that’s crossing cultures. We’re not saying this is a Black or white issue. We’re saying it’s a human issue. It’s the same for all of us because it ends dreams and hopes and it shatters lives.
What do we need to do better?
Princess Titus: We need to bring children in on the conversation. There’s violence that happens to young children before gun violence. There’s violence in the home, the adversities that happen. Then you go outside, and you’ve got bullies and the internet where you hear that you’re not cute enough or skinny enough or tall enough. It’s violence to be devalued. For children to suppress those emotions and then to explode one day with a weapon in their hand, that’s what we’re experiencing.
Also, I think we could do more partnering. Everybody I know in the Black community has a gun violence initiative. We need to do some ripple mapping to find out who’s where. If there’s somebody reading this who wants to come and fund that, we need a more consolidated effort.
What can the average person do to protect kids from gun violence?
Princess Titus: I would say, individually, keep your house in order. If you have firearms around, are they safely stored? Our constitutional rights come with responsibilities.
I would also say, have conversations with people around you. Talk to children. Ask them, have you ever seen a gun or a firearm? Do they know the difference between being alive and dead? Because they’re seeing guns in video games where you shoot a person and then they come back. That doesn’t happen in life. It’s also good to open up a conversation about guns with young people so if they see a gun on a playground, they know they have an adult to talk to instead of attempting to do something with it.
For change on a systemic level, sign a petition. E-mail your legislators. Get involved with Mothers Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action and Protect Minnesota.
Other local groups that are doing good work in the community: Innovative Soulutions, T.O.U.C.H Outreach, 8218 TruceCenter and Healing Streets, which responds when there’s been a shooting in in Ramsey County.
What are your hopes for the future?
Princess Titus: I want to see gun owners held accountable for using and storing their weapons safely. I want to see sensible limits on who can purchase a gun and how many they can purchase.
I want young people to be able to find good jobs. And I want our young people who are already hurting to get a chance to do some healing before they have children themselves.
Marc Gorelick, MD
President, chief executive officer
Marc Gorelick, MD, is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Children’s Minnesota. He is deeply committed to advocacy issues that impact children’s health, sustainability and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.
Learn more about his book, “Saving Our Kids: An ER Doc’s Common-Sense Solution to the Gun Crisis.” All proceeds from the book will be invested back into Children’s Minnesota gun violence prevention work.
Follow me on LinkedIn.
