The January 8th Memorial
Mary Reed - Survivor
Symbols by artist Rebeca Méndez
Mary's Key
The key around her neck / Bought in Amsterdam
While Mary’s husband, an astronomer, was occupied at a conference in Amsterdam, she scoured the antique stores along the canals of the city to find this special key—a key to her heart. She found it. It now hangs on a chain around her neck.
Brain
TEDX Tucson organizer / Innovator
Mary organizes TEDx in Tucson, as a way to send love to the city, and to share ideas worth sharing about Southern Arizona. She wishes for this underestimated city to confidently join the global conversation of going forward.
Mama Bear
Shielded her daughter from bullets / Nurturer
Mary was the last person shot, shielding her daughter Emily. Emily was Gabby Giffords’ last congressional page and shares the same birthday as Gabby. As the shooter aimed for her daughter, Mary looked the shooter in the eye, daring him to shoot her while looking her in the eye. “Because I am brave, I am still alive.” She took three bullets, has one still lodged in her spine.
Community
Devotion to family / Service to community
Mary has a devotion to family and community. “I am a nurturer.” She is also an advocate for victims of gun violence. “My wounds, my bullet holes, connect me to other gun victims, they are my umbilical cord that connect me to humanity. I want this country safe for my children. I have the moral authority to speak.”
Pie
Baker and giver of pies
Every January 8 Mary bakes 15 to 30 pies for “my sweety pies” at the Department of Justice, for everyone in the federal justice system involved in the case. “I serve pie to those that serve justice.” It is a ritual that helps her heal from the trauma.
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