WASHINGTON—During National Gun Violence Survivors Week, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that he has invited Deborah Davis to be his guest for President Trump’s third State of the Union address. Deborah, who lost her son to gun violence in 2010, is an organizer with Mothers United Against Violence (MUAV), an organization created by Reverend Henry Brown and Henrietta Beckman based in Hartford that seeks to provide spiritual support, closure and social justice for victims and families impacted by violence. As an organizer, Deborah frequently speaks on behalf of MUAV and meets with families impacted by gun violence.

“Mass shootings may get the national headlines, but we can’t lose sight of what’s happening every day in communities across Connecticut and the nation,” said Murphy. “That’s why I’m proud to be joined at this year’s State of the Union by my friend Deborah Davis. It’s been almost a year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to protect our communities from gun violence, and while I continue to fight to bring this legislation to the floor in the Senate, I know that I can count on people like Deborah and Mothers United Against Violence who are on the front lines leading the fight to end gun violence. Gun violence has torn too many families apart and is traumatizing our communities, and I wanted Deborah by my side to shine a light on this epidemic and give a voice to those suffering. We can tackle gun violence in this country. We just need people in Congress willing to do what over 90% of their constituents want—pass meaningful gun violence prevention legislation like universal background checks.”

“I am honored to join Senator Chris Murphy at the State of the Union to shine a light on the work that Mothers United Against Violence has done over the years to strengthen and stabilize our communities, especially after they experience traumatic violence,” said Deborah Davis. “I got involved with Mothers United Against Violence after experiencing trauma myself, and far too often after tragedy, we can fall into hopelessness. But our organization, cofounded by Mrs. Henrietta Beckman and Rev. Henry Brown, provides articles of compassion to families in the Greater Hartford area dealing with the trauma of violence by offering workshops, educational opportunities and spiritual support. We serve as change agents to help promote stabilization both for our families and our communities while promoting better mental health services and economic development conditions. I hope that by sharing my story and talking about the work our organization does, it promotes urgency at the national level to end senseless violence. I’m proud we have a partner in Senator Murphy.”    

President Donald Trump will deliver his third State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 9:00pm.

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