Summary
Before There Was Columbine chronicles the story of Kendra Bryant, a student who attended Pearl High School, and recalls the events of what has been labeled as the first major school rampage shooting in modern history. The October 1st, 1997 shooting killed students Christina Menefee and Lydia Dew while injuring seven others. The killing of the mother of the gunman occurred earlier that morning when she was stabbed to death. This documentary gives insight into the long-term trauma that persists for school students and families exposed to such violence and who are expected to integrate into society. At the same time, it highlights the lack of appropriate action taken to consistently prevent and deter these tragedies and gives insight into what can be done to protect our community and the innocence of our children. My name is Tamia Sanders, and I am a student at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. I was born in Mississippi and lived there briefly before I moved to Houston, Texas, where I was raised; however, growing up, I made yearly visits to Pearl, Mississippi, for the summer and different holidays, and throughout that time, Pearl has helped shape me into a woman who takes on challenges that incorporate helping and advocating for others. At its core, Pearl is a significant foundation of who I am, what I believe, and why I feel this story should be told this way. In no way do I think that getting rid of guns is the answer, nor are they inherently evil. I believe anyone who intends to do evil with a gun will do that. However, with your contributions, I would like to continue the conversation that leads to effective change within the legislation that no longer tolerates the lifestyle of easily accessible guns and helps to enforce consistency in measures toward school safety.
What We Need
The Impact
We are setting up our society for failure by allowing the trauma of school shootings to continue and allowing ourselves to be desensitized to such hate. This film is dedicated to the survivors whose lives did not go back to normal once the media coverage settled and who will forever live with the devastation and consequences of school shootings. It is meant to educate those who want to know what they could do to be a part of an effective change for their communities and loved ones. No person is immune, whether you are a parent of a student in school, a friend/sibling to one, a faculty/staff member's child, or a student. Without proper action, this tragedy could be at the doorstep of your community. We can no longer live with an "it could never happen to me" mentality. You have the power to change an unfortunately common experience for many American students and families. We can’t stay complacent. This is a sensitive subject, and throughout the documentary, I believe my audience will have an opportunity to look behind the scenes and see how it all comes together to create a bigger story. I hope this documentary will bring healing to those involved and support those currently going through it. I want my audience to be proactive about not only sending thoughts and prayers but taking specific action by donating to organizations that help to change laws while educating others on the common themes of these shootings and how to fight against the apparent signs. Human life is a Human right.
Risks & Challenges
One of the obstacles that play into the making of this film is my inexperience with making documentaries. My passion for stories to inspire, educate, and captivate my audience is what pushes me to tackle such a sensitive topic. This story hits close to home because I have living family members whose lives are still impacted by this tragedy. Growing up in Texas, disasters like the Santa Fe shooting and Uvalde affected my community and me. It is a harsh reality and reminder of the world I live in and motivation for me to be a part of the change I want to see. I have experience with short videos and a background in photography; I have been creating video content since 2018; I learned the basics of Adobe Photoshop during my sophomore year in high school and had various video projects using Adobe Premiere Pro during my junior and senior years in high school. During the pandemic, I got a professional camera and made videos promoting my father's business. I had internships in photography that grew and developed into a small business where I would take pictures for clients. I've taken graduation pictures, weddings, and outdoor maternity pictures, among many others. I intend to take all I have learned within the past five years and pour it into this film that tells a unique story that, unfortunately, represents so many people.
Other Ways You Can Help
Below are some resources and links to websites for mental health and education on gun laws and guns safety in different states.
https://act.everytown.org/event/sda-events
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/
http://bit.ly/SDA-calling
https://momsdemandaction.org/
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/departments/health...
Mental Health resources: the resources provided below vary and do not cater specifically to the aftermath of school shootings. However, they may be a resource for those interested in a starting point and finding out more information about what they or a loved one are currently experiencing.
https://mhmyouth.org/
https://mentalhealthliteracy.org/
https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-too...
(The links listed below are from the same website and cater to identifying symptoms of PTSD and providing access to MHA screenings)
https://mhanational.org/
https://mhanational.org/conditions/post-traumat...https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/