Reflection: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Richmond-based educator, performer, and activist Kat Oros reflects on the serendipity she found in joining the fight for gun reform with an upcoming multi-genre concert.
By Kat Oros | 6/1/24
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The massacre at Sandy Hook happened when my younger son was an infant. He laughed for the first time that day.
Mass shootings happen in a place where innocent people should be safe. We lift up “thoughts and prayers” and then quickly forget. The cycle continues in infinity. Blake is now finishing 5th grade. My older son is finishing 7th grade. Little has changed to ensure his safety at school or everyone’s safety in public places in our country. But I have the time and bandwidth to take on a big project.
In the spring of 2023, I prayed about and asked the universe to give me a big project to benefit gun reform. Having a dozen half marathons and a full marathon in 2022, I decided to run the Boston Marathon to benefit a gun reform charity. I soon found out that a person could only run the Boston Marathon for a health-related charity that was already chosen by the directors of the race. While I believe that public safety is a health field, it was nevertheless back to the drawing board.
I spoke to several friends about my idea and they helped me brainstorm. One of my friends who is a singer based in Atlanta saw something about a gun reform charity concert. Eureka!
I soon met with stakeholders to make things happen, including a director of a performing arts center. But I had approached several churches with the idea too. Ultimately, I decided that I would rather see an event like this be hosted at a church because all of the funds could go to the cause rather than the venue. However, that did mean I had to wait for the churches to agree to put it on the agenda for the session or governing board of the church, then wait for them to get back to me. It was a long waiting game.
During that time, I started singing professionally at Second Presbyterian Church in September. At the first service I attended, I noticed a message posted in the bulletin informing that the Second Presbyterian rings its bell every Monday to honor each annual victim of gun violence in Richmond. And suddenly I was certain that there was a distinct reason for me to be in this time and space.
Second Presbyterian is located downtown near Brown’s Island and is on the free bus route. It has a committee for social issues and a walk-in ministry in which they feed and allow unhoused people to shower every Monday. Second Presbyterian agreed to be the venue and the concert is set for Sunday, October 6, 2024.
The beneficiary of this concert is Moms Demand Action, a nonpartisan, all-volunteer group that advocates for safe storage laws, background checks, red flag laws, and other various common-sense gun laws.
I hope this concert will bring to light the inevitable fact that well over half of the U.S. population wants common-sense gun reform. We want to be able to go to the grocery store, concerts, dinner, church, and school without the fear of being murdered by a stranger. This concert can bring our city together for a great cause and will be a wonderful afternoon of entertainment by several genres of music.
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