Magazine Profiles Young Victims of Gun Violence in America

Only passage of gun reform laws can prevent publication of the next edition

In an ideal world, “30 Under 30″—a stirring initiative anchored by a special edition print magazine—would not exist. It presents the heartbreaking stories of 30 victims of gun violence under the age of 30.

Sadly, in the U.S., where shootings are an ever-present part of our lives and the leading cause of death and children and teens, such an initiative comes as no surprise.

Alan Light, a former former top editor and writer at Vibe and Rolling Stone, helmed the publication, which profiles victims of gun violence like King Carter, who was just 6-years-old when he was killed by a stray bullet in Miami; Akilah Dasilva, 23 when he was one of four people gunned down at a Waffle House in Texas; and Joaquin Oliver, 17-years-old when he was killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

In the years since Joaquin’s murder by a gunman armed with an AR-15, his parents Manuel and Patricia Oliver have become ardent reform activists, founding Change the Ref and teaming with the Founder Agency on the “30 Under 30” initiative. A coalition of over a dozen gun violence organizations, including March for Our Lives, Newtown Action Alliance Foundation and Gays Against Guns, have united to support the project.

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Copies of the magazine will be handed out at today’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Columbus, Ohio, as well as on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere. It’s also available in digital form.

Here, Tanya de Poli, founder and CEO of Founders, discusses the thinking behind the “30 Under 30” concept and the power of sharing profiles in print.

MUSE: Tell me about the origins of this project.

Tanya De Poli: The 30 magazine concept came about two years ago when Alan Wesley and Pau Corella, creative directors at Founders, pitched the idea. Originally, we decided to pitch the idea to Forbes, had a few meetings with them, but they ended up passing on the idea of using one of their editions to highlight victims of gun violence. At that point, we paused for a second as we had to pivot.

Enter Patricia and Manuel, co-founders of Change The Ref and parents of Joaquin “Guac” Oliver. We met them at a conference a year ago, and we became very close to them and to their cause. We started talking about the creative work they were doing and told them we had this idea from a couple of years ago to create a magazine dedicated to celebrating the legacy and lives that kids like Guac have left behind.

They loved it and said, “Let’s make it happen.” Manuel had only one condition. He said, “You do this with us year after year until, hopefully, one day we never have to publish this magazine again. I don’t want this to just be a one-time stunt.”

And we said, “Deal.”

Why did you embrace the “30 Under 30” list concept?

Because we think it’s important to insert this conversation into something that is culturally relevant. We needed a platform that people would be talking about, and we wanted to find a way to hijack that conversation. The idea was always driven by the “30 Under 30” list. It wasn’t an afterthought. It was central to the idea from day one.

I want to clarify that in no way is it meant to go against any sort of “30 Under list” or “ranking.” We celebrate so many of the people on these lists, and many of them have partnered with us on this idea to amplify it even more. We think the platform is a powerful way to send a message with a completely different angle—the list that “you don’t want to be on.”

Can you talk about why you chose to publish a print magazine specifically?

Nowadays, everything is digital. Having the stories, the images and the artwork in your hands gives the project the emotional impact we want. Print also carries a sense of permanence and seriousness that is necessary for an issue of this magnitude.

We wanted everything about this project to feel as big and important as Forbes, Time, The New York Times, Monocle or any major publication. Therefore, making it a print magazine was central to the idea.

This included featuring stories, op-eds and ad spaces, which are all dedicated to the parent-led organizations featured inside the magazine. Having an editor was also key. We got the amazing Alan Light to jump in on the project and serve as our editor-in-chief.

We worked closely with each of the 30 families [of the victims profiled] in creating a true tribute, where each page was literally hand-crafted—from the art on the pages to the words that try to capture the dreams and lives that could have been. We felt that this deserved to be seen in print.

Many of these families lost their children many years ago. We started hearing their stories, getting close to each of the parents and understanding how important having this new tangible memory of their children was. That also became the main driving force behind making it an actual published, printed magazine.

Of course, being able to send this magazine to senators, media figures and other people who can influence the conversation on this topic is key as well. We felt that print was absolutely the way to go for that.

There is also a digital version of the magazine. In addition to the profiles, readers learn how they can get involved with organizations lobbying for gun reform and helping the families of victims.

If they want to support the cause, there are so many ways to do so. They can vote for politicians who support anti-gun legislation. They can donate to any organization they connected with while reading the stories. They can volunteer with organizations. Or they can simply tell a friend to read these stories and help shed more light on the issue of gun violence.

What was it like for you and your team to work with Patricia and Manuel to launch this campaign?

They are the kindest people with the biggest hearts, and their energy is infectious. The way they talk about their son Guac makes you feel like you had the privilege of knowing him. They are also incredibly creative. They love being a part of the process and brainstorming ideas. The fact that they so quickly connected us to 30 families and that not a single one declined to participate was shocking to us. The fact that we already have the next 30 lined up was equally astonishing.

[Whether it was our staffers] who spoke to families, wrote the stories or designed the final pages, the depth at which this touched everyone was more than we could have ever anticipated. Many tears were shed on our side in the process.

Most critically, we learned that the strength these families have goes such a long way. They will not stop until this issue sees an end someday.