Gun violence prevention advocate, former congressmember, and Scripps College alumna Gabby Giffords will return to campus for a screening and panel discussion of Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, the 2022 documentary about her gun violence prevention work, aphasia awareness advocacy, and her fight to recover after a 2011 assassination attempt. She will be joined by the documentary’s co-producer, Lisa Erspamer, and Peter Ambler, executive director of the Giffords organization and Giffords Law Center. The event will take place at Garrison Theater on Tuesday, March 7, at 6 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.
Giffords graduated from Scripps in 1993 and in 2013 became the third-ever recipient of the Ellen Browning Scripps Medal, the College’s highest level of recognition, awarded to women whose accomplishments make a difference in the lives of other women. Giffords was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving in the state legislature from 2000 to 2005 and in US Congress from 2006 to 2012. In 2013, she co-founded the Giffords organization and has become a leader in the national gun safety movement. In July 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in January 2023, she served as the Rose Parade’s grand marshal.
Founded in 2016, Scripps Presents is committed to hosting thought-provoking conversations with emerging and established scholars, writers, performers, and thinkers. The series’ spring season opened with a sold-out performance by comedian Mo Amer. Upcoming programs include appearances by Broadway performer Bryan Terrell Clark, former US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and members of Deaf West Theatre.