Posted on Nov 6, 2023
A mother's run for mayor raises a difficult question: How does Uvalde move forward?
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https://www.npr.org/2023/11/06/ [login to see] /uvalde-texas-shooting-mayor-election-gun-reform-kimberly-mata-rubio-lexi
It's a warm Saturday afternoon in Uvalde, Texas, and Kimberly Mata-Rubio is zigzagging between houses on Garden Street – knocking on doors and talking to voters.
She is wearing a medal around her neck from a race she ran earlier that morning to honor her daughter, Lexi – the day before would have been her 12th birthday.
Lexi was among the 19 students and two teachers killed in a mass shooting at her school in May 2022. In the months since, Mata-Rubio and her husband Felix have traveled the country demanding stricter gun control laws. Mata-Rubio says her job now is to honor Lexi's life with action.
"I know she would have made a difference in this world if she'd been given the opportunity. So I want to do that for her," she told NPR.
It's a warm Saturday afternoon in Uvalde, Texas, and Kimberly Mata-Rubio is zigzagging between houses on Garden Street – knocking on doors and talking to voters.
She is wearing a medal around her neck from a race she ran earlier that morning to honor her daughter, Lexi – the day before would have been her 12th birthday.
Lexi was among the 19 students and two teachers killed in a mass shooting at her school in May 2022. In the months since, Mata-Rubio and her husband Felix have traveled the country demanding stricter gun control laws. Mata-Rubio says her job now is to honor Lexi's life with action.
"I know she would have made a difference in this world if she'd been given the opportunity. So I want to do that for her," she told NPR.
A mother's run for mayor raises a difficult question: How does Uvalde move forward?
Posted from npr.org
Uvalde
Voting
Elections
Firearms and Guns
Violence
Posted 7 mo ago
Responses: 1
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Lexi was among the 19 students and two teachers killed in a mass shooting at her school in May 2022. In the months since, Mata-Rubio and her husband Felix have traveled the country demanding stricter gun control laws. Mata-Rubio says her job now is to honor Lexi's life with action.
"I know she would have made a difference in this world if she'd been given the opportunity. So I want to do that for her," she told NPR.
Mata-Rubio is hoping to make that difference by running for mayor of Uvalde in a special election on Tuesday. Yet as she hits the campaign trail, some residents see her as a painful reminder of a tragedy they're trying to move on from.
'I carry empathy'
For Mata-Rubio, turning grief into action is not just about her family. She says everyone lost something that day in May.
"My community is also suffering," she said. "We lost our sense of security. We lost 21 residents of Uvalde. And I want to be part of the change that my community sees.""...
..."Lexi was among the 19 students and two teachers killed in a mass shooting at her school in May 2022. In the months since, Mata-Rubio and her husband Felix have traveled the country demanding stricter gun control laws. Mata-Rubio says her job now is to honor Lexi's life with action.
"I know she would have made a difference in this world if she'd been given the opportunity. So I want to do that for her," she told NPR.
Mata-Rubio is hoping to make that difference by running for mayor of Uvalde in a special election on Tuesday. Yet as she hits the campaign trail, some residents see her as a painful reminder of a tragedy they're trying to move on from.
'I carry empathy'
For Mata-Rubio, turning grief into action is not just about her family. She says everyone lost something that day in May.
"My community is also suffering," she said. "We lost our sense of security. We lost 21 residents of Uvalde. And I want to be part of the change that my community sees.""...
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