Pittsburgh Magazine has announced gun safety advocate Gabby Giffords ’93 as one of the keynote speakers at the fourth annual Eradicate Hate Global Summit on October 21–23, 2024.
Giffords, a Scripps alum and former US congresswoman and who survived being shot in the head during a mass shooting in 2011, will share the stage with other dignitaries Tara Levine, president of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism; Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, White House homeland security advisor; and Elliot Garrett, chief Washington correspondent with CBS News.
The conference convenes global experts and leaders from multiple sectors to create solutions to eradicate hate-fueled violence. Session topics include reducing the risk of political violence, the role that students can play in diffusing hate on campus, and more.
Led by President Brette Steele, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit launched in 2021 after a gunman killed and wounded people at three Pittsburgh synagogues in 2018. Steele also serves as senior director for preventing targeted violence with the McCain Institute, a nonpartisan public service organization.
Says Steele, “This could not be more of an essential time for everyone to take a moment, take stock, and learn concrete steps they can take to reduce the risk of hate-filled violence, be that political or otherwise.”