Press Releases

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon announced today that she will be joined by constituents Beverly Wright and Malcolm J. Yates at Tuesday’s State of the Union.  

Wright lost her son to gun violence when he was just 23 years old. Since then, she has become an advocate for common sense gun safety and gun violence prevention. Wright is currently the president of Women of Strength United for Change, a support group for families who have lost someone to gun violence, and is currently a board member of Delco United, a local gun violence prevention advocacy group.

“Losing my son left a hole in my heart but forced me to find my voice,” Wright said. “Gun violence victims and all of their families continue to be left on the back burner and it’s time for a change. I am so proud to be able to represent my son and honored to have been remembered by the Congresswoman after speaking to her from the heart but through pain at a local event.”

Yates, born and raised in Southwest Philadelphia, survived a shooting at a local candy store when he was just seven-years-old. That shooting claimed the life of his brother Marcus who was just five-years-old. For nearly a decade, Yates has been an advocate for gun violence prevention, and started a community center and foundation in his brother’s name.

“This violence completely changed the dynamic of our family and the course of my life,” said Yates. “This happened 30 years ago and not much has changed. Kids are still getting slaughtered in our streets because people who shouldn’t have guns are still able to get them. I am honored to attend the State of the Union as a tribute to my brother.”

Wright and Yates will both join Congresswoman Scanlon at the Judiciary Committee’s hearing on H.R. 8, the first hearing on gun violence in nearly a decade, on Wednesday.

“When gun violence has become a constant in our lives, invading our schools, our places of worship, and the places where we work and play, we must make common sense gun safety legislation a priority,” Congresswoman Scanlon said. “Beverly and Malcolm turned their unthinkable loss into advocacy, but students, families, and communities should not have to ask for the government to protect them.”

Congresswoman Scanlon currently serves as Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, a member of the House Rules Committee, and is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.