Exactly one year ago, Patricia Oliver’s home was filled with crying family members and friends: Her 17-year-old sonJoaquinwas one of17 fatal victimsof the mass shooting atMarjorie Stoneman Douglas High Schoolin Parkland, Florida.
For Patricia and her husband, artist Manuel Oliver, the pain of losing Joaquin, a popular senior with a larger-than-life personality, has not abated in the year since. In that time, the couple has dedicated themselves to gun violence prevention advocacy, hoping to prevent other parents from feeling their pain.
Joaquin Oliver/Instagram
At the unveiling of the mural, Manuel Oliver told PEOPLE that his focus is on his activism and not his pain.
“It doesn’t matter how much it hurts because we have a [gun] problem,” he says.
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Patricia recalls those hours in her home after Joaquin’s death as the birth of her activism.
“I told them, ‘We are allowed to cry. We are allowed to be sad. We are allowed to scream. But we have to do something about it,’” she says. “Whatever we do, we have to be outside because nothing is going to happen if we’re in here, in our room, crying and grabbing a pillow.”
Peter Staley, Emma Gonzalez, Patricia Oliver.Elaine Aradillas
Patricia has traveled across the country and met with countless mothers who have lost their children and loved ones to gun violence. She says it’s a club she never wanted to be a part of, but she has no choice.
“Women, we have the power. We have the strength,” she says. “We have to use that power to empower others. We have to be responsible and committed to save lives and live in a safe country.”
source: people.com
