Community activists, residents and political leaders gathered at Macomb Community College South Campus in Warren Saturday morning to discuss how they can help each other and how voters can be better engaged — particularly in municipal and school board elections. The...
Kelly Dillaha
Legislation expanding gun restrictions for domestic abusers clears Michigan House
Kelly Dillaha, Michigan director of the women’s advocacy organization Red, Wine & Blue, called passage of the bills a “huge victory” for survivors of domestic violence. “As a child, I lived through the traumatic experience of domestic violence with a gun,” she...
Survivors of domestic violence push for gun reform laws in Michigan
A key part of End Gun Violence Michigan’s intentions is to try and disarm all convicted domestic abusers and make domestic violence victims and communities all over Michigan safer. The goal of the Sept. 14 memorial service was to support new legislation that would...
What are local schools doing for student safety?
The list is long, as are our memories, of youths who have been victims of school shootings. And as the public cries for a solution become deafening, it is left to school districts and law enforcement to fortify schools with what amounts to bandaids as prevention as...
Stateside Podcast: The parents on the other side of the phone
On the night of the shooting at Michigan State University, students faced four hours of a shelter-in-place order. During that time many students were in communication with their parents; texting and calling them. On the other end of the phone, parents had to manage...
After Oxford, gun violence advocates felt helpless. But there’s hope for change in Michigan now.
Kelly Dillaha, the mother of twins who attend MSU and were barricaded in their room just off campus during the mass shooting, said the school could not have done anything differently to prevent Monday’s violence. What would make a difference, she said, is gun reform....
‘We all ran for our lives’: MSU students describe mass shooting as a never-ending nightmare
Michigan State University students are angry. Yes, they are traumatized; yes, they are overwhelmed with grief and sadness. They know they will need mental health support in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. But, right now, in the wake of three students being...
MSU mom, anti-gun violence advocate calls for solutions after campus shooting
A Michigan State University mother and anti-gun violence advocate says Monday’s deadly shooting on campus reinforces her efforts to achieve sensible gun control. Kelly Dillaha’s phone was flooded Monday night with messages from concerned friends asking about her twin...
Michigan State Mom, Activist Hopes Shooting Will Lead To Gun Reform
Kelly Dillaha and her husband, Scott, were watching television in their Birmingham home Monday evening when their phones started blowing up with texts asking if their twin sons, Aidan and Brandon Johnson-Hill, students at Michigan State University, were OK. They...
Good News Alert: Democrats Might Actually Flip the Michigan Legislature
When Michigan voters go to the polls, they’ll also be deciding whether to enshrine abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution, or to let stand a 1931 law that would essentially ban abortion in the state. Kelly Dillaha, Michigan Program Director for the grassroots...
Recent Posts
Watch This: Spotting and Stopping Disinformation
We learned last week that 1 in 4 Americans know that they’ve shared misinformation or disinformation online. We also know that a lot of disinformation intentionally comes from bad actors, like other governments that want to interfere with our democratic elections. A...
Caring for Each Other: Mutual Aid & Protection
Mutual aid & protection is about coming together to meet our community’s immediate needs while working to create political changes that benefit everyone. Remember: the system is the problem, not the people being targeted by it. Let’s work together to help our neighbors.
Showing Up: Protests, Boycotts, and Beyond
Do you know how often we hear women all over the country say “I thought I was the only one!”? We can’t let loud extremists make it seem like they’re more powerful than they are. Visible opposition serves two main purposes
Taking Back Power: Elections & Advocacy
Want to keep your community safe from misguided decisions made in Washington? Start local. Electing thoughtful, common-sense leaders to your school board, city council, state legislature, and state Supreme Court is how we build a strong foundation. And no matter who we voted for, our representatives work for us. It’s our responsibility to make our voices heard — by telling them how we expect them to vote and what issues matter to us.
The Secret to Effective Messaging
No matter where you organize or what you set out to accomplish, there’s one more thing you need to know (even if you don’t quite believe it yet): you are the most effective messenger for why it’s so important to get involved right now, information about your local elections, and the issues that matter most to you.