Gun Violence is a Product of Design: A Lesson Learned from Losing a Younger Brother

My mission for building equitable communities and outcomes for Black and Latinx populations just became personal.

On May 2nd, while I was deeply in the middle of promoting Creative Reaction Lab’s participation in Give STL Day (and thank you to all the donors that supported us), I learned my 14-year-old brother had been shot. After rushing to the hospital with my sister, we learned the report stating my brother was shot in the arm was false and instead he was shot in the chest. Upon entering St. Louis Children’s Hospital and waiting to be escorted by the police to the floor my brother was on, my sister and I received the dreaded call: our brother had died.

To say this moment was surreal is an understatement. To learn that my brother was an unarmed victim of gun violence in his own home filled me with many emotions. And, as I write you in this moment with tears streaming down my eyes, I can now tell you that losing a loved one to an epidemic that plagues Black and Brown communities is not only sad, but more so angering.

Angering that I recognize two young men lost their lives on May 2nd: my brother and the 13-year-old boy that shot him. Another child.

Angering that I personally know what it feels like to have my heart permanently damaged by an violent occurrence that’s become all too commonplace.

Angering that since Blacks were forced into manual slavery that built the United States of America, the systemic design of disinvesting and disempowering our communities had a larger role to play in the situation that took my brother from his family, friends, and future.

Angering that I always knew systems of oppression, inequalities, and inequities were by design and the taking of my brother’s life was one drop in the ripple effect of racial inequities.

Angering that while Creative Reaction Lab is working to educate and deploy youth leadership to address racial inequities impacting Black and Latinx populations, I couldn’t save my brother and the young black male that committed the act.

Angering that when my sister asked what we were doing at Creative Reaction Lab to impact the black youth in some of the most economically poor areas of St. Louis, I couldn’t say that we were in every school and neighborhood…because we are young, lean, and still figuring it out. And, the truth is that while we know that dismantling systems take extensive time, we’re faced with the reality that each day we lose a bright light (or more) in our communities — like my brother Oscar Johnson III (also known as OJ or Juiceman).

It is hard to face my truth that while I was already committed to this work, I wasn’t enough — yet. And, I can’t lie and say that I’m not disappointed in myself for not being able to do more. That being said, my brother will continue to be a call to action for me. His legacy will live on through the work I will continue to do at Creative Reaction Lab, the soon to be created Oscar Johnson III Youth Hope Foundation, and wherever the future leads me.

In whatever way you can, join me in this fight against not only gun violence, but challenging community disinvestment that continually plague Black and Brown cultures.

Everyone has a role to play.

And, while we’re pushing for a new type of leader — equity designers — and the movement that follows, I want to be clear that not everyone can fulfill this role. This work is messy. It’s hard. And, it’s driven by personal resiliency built up through particular life experiences. Allies are just as important in power sharing and providing space.

As always, thank you for continuing to support the work of Creative Reaction Lab. Ultimately, we are always “reacting” to designs — whether historic or contemporary.

But, for us to truly make a dent, we must become equity designers and movement allies — together and everyday.