Julianne Moore Instagram – This week’s #WomenCrushWednesday is Niadu Allen, a @MomsDemand volunteer originally from St. Louis, Missouri.
Niadu’s life has been shaken by gun violence and domestic violence many times over. At 17, she was threatened at gunpoint by her then-boyfriend while she was pregnant. In 2002, Niadu’s sister, Anonda Allen, was senselessly shot and killed. And just three years ago, Niadu’s daughter, Johnesia Murray, was shot and killed by her boyfriend. “The last birthday either of them got to celebrate was their 29th,” says Niadu. “Gun violence ended their lives far too soon.”
Following her daughter’s murder, Niadu began advocating for gun safety in Missouri and eventually joined her local @MomsDemand chapter. The work she has done in her state ever since has been nothing short of lifesaving.
“Even in a state like Missouri, we’ve been able to mobilize—blocking dangerous bills that would have put more guns on our streets and winning more funding for violence intervention programs that keep our communities safe,” explains Niadu. “And, following the tragic shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Superbowl Parade earlier this year, we defeated a bill that would have expanded our state’s dangerous ‘shoot first’ law.”
Niadu is now the legal guardian for her four grandchildren. She refuses to let the traumatic cycle of gun violence continue into their generation.
“My grandkids—Angel, Angelo, Angelina, and Angelicia—deserve a future free from the cycles of violence and trauma that have plagued the generations before them. Everything I do, I do for them.” #wcw | Posted on 18/Dec/2024 20:15:23
