“Gen Z is the mass shooting generation. It’s a staple of our collective identity. Some of the most significant moments of our collective life—Parkland, Pulse, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd—some of the points that connect us the most are actually just very traumatic points of death in this country.”
-Congressman Maxwell Frost, episode 318 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
To start, Sam sits with another week in American life, before returning to our timely conversation with Congressman Maxwell Frost (FL-10).
At the top, we discuss the five-year aftermath of the horrific shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (10:29), his first two months in office as the first Gen-Z Congressman (12:10), and the legislature he’s fighting for to reduce gun violence (17:14). Then, we walk through his impassioned response to the Sandy Hook shooting (19:40), how it cemented his early commitment to politics (26:17), and embracing his Afro-Cuban identity as an adopted child (30:15).
On the back half, Frost reflects on his road to Congress (37:58), the connection he shares with his biological mother (41:00), the blend of grassroots organizing and policy-making he leads with today (49:22), and the progress he hopes to see in the years to come (57:40).
Original air date: February 26, 2023.
Show-notes:
- Read about Congressman Maxwell Frost’s work on his website. You can support his campaign for re-election here.
- To help those affected by the Apalachee High School shooting, donate here. To prevent gun violence in the US, support Everytown for Gun Safety.
- Follow Maxwell Alejandro Frost on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- For more conversations, hear our talks with Beto O’Rourke, Stacey Abrams, and Gloria Steinem.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.
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