If you walk into a high school and ask any random student, chances are they don't recognize the name, Gabrielle Giffords. If they do, they probably couldn't tell you who she is, or what she has accomplished.
This should change.
Giffords was a United States Congresswoman for the state of Arizona from 2007 to 2012. Before this, she worked in the Arizona state Senate and the Arizona State House of Representatives. She was a candidate supported by all of the parties, and she voted for some pretty memorable bills during her time in Congress.
But, that's not her greatest achievement.
In January of 2011, Giffords was shot, at point blank range, in the head. That day she was holding a Congress On Your Corner event in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, and in the disaster, 18 others were shot alongside her.
Six of them were killed, the others left with injuries of varying severity.
Congresswoman Giffords was left in critical condition, fighting for her life after a bullet tore through her brain.
Giffords achieved both of these things.
Hundreds of people spoke very strongly at the Democratic National Convention last summer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I watched every single speaker give their speech.
And the speaker that really stuck out to me was Giffords, with her short but extremely powerful message.
She called Hillary Clinton tough and courageous. While Clinton does possess those qualities, Giffords is the definition of courage and toughness.
Something that is absolutely shocking and incredibly heartbreaking is the hatred that people spew at this woman. There are hundreds of comments on the Youtube video of Giffords' DNC speech, and most of them aren't good.
A majority of them are hate-filled and just downright ugly. People call Giffords a faker and a fraud. They think that it's all a scam just to push for gun law reform and to take on the gun lobby. Come on people!
Why would a woman who had won every single election of her political career, and who was thought to be the most positive person ever in Congress destroy her life just to push an agenda?
Besides this, six people lost their lives in that shooting, and another 12 were injured, not including Giffords. The Tucson police were there on scene and testified in court that it did happen.
There are recordings of 911 calls where callers tell the dispatchers that Giffords was hit.
There is nothing fake or fraudulent about Giffords.
In August 2011, just eight months into her recovery, Giffords found a way to go back to Congress. The house was at a deadlock on a vote about the debt ceiling. She found a way to get to Washington and cast her vote.
Because of her vote, the bill was passed. In an interview on the Ted stage in 2014, Giffords said that she did it so her voice could still be heard. Her voice will always be heard because of the hours of dedication and work she has put into her recovery.
There are two events that really show just how incredible Giffords is, and just how loved she is both on the United States Congress and with her constituents.
First, would be her victory speech, after winning her first election for the United States House, which you can watch on Youtube here. It's extremely difficult to pick just one of her public appearances to show the incredible support of her audience, but this one is especially important because she was a Democrat elected in an area with a Republican majority, as she ran against candidates who were more widely known.
In the speech, Giffords says "This is a victory for all of us tonight. Not just the Democrats, but the Independents, the Republicans, the Greens, the Libertarians and the vegetarians, I want to thank every single one of you tonight." (Yes, she really did say vegetarians).
She identified as a Democrat, but Giffords was truly a candidate for all parties.
She proves this by saying later in the speech, "You may have seen on my TV ads, there are some lines I just won't cross, but there is one line I will never be afraid to cross. I will always extend my hand across the aisle to do what's right for the American people, to build consensus, and to get the job done."
She lived up to her word both in Congress by doing things such as being a part of the Blue Dog Coalition, a fiscally Conservative committee, and by having her Gun Safety Group Americans for Responsible Solutions back two Republican Senators (Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania and Mark Kirk from Illinois) for re-election in 2016.
But back to her speech, the cheering from her audience is even more exuberant than the exuberance of an audience at a concert. And this was still early in her political career.
In 2012, Giffords returned to Congress, where she officially resigned. That day, representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida first spoke about Giffords, and then proceeded to read her resignation letter. The Florida Rep could barely hold back her tears as she spoke.
She starts off by saying "I am so proud of my friend, and it will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met Gabby Giffords and to have served with her in this body."
Her voice is raw, and she sniffs back tears every few seconds, something you wouldn't really ever expect from a woman who doesn't seem like the emotional type.
Throughout the speech, there are breaks where Congress bursts into applause and even a moment where Wasserman Schultz stops to hug Giffords.
There is one sentence in Gifford's letter that truly sticks out, and truly sets an example, not only for politicians but for all people.
Giffords says, "Always I fought for what I thought was right, but never did I judge the character of those with whom I disagreed. Never did I let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals."
This is one of the most powerful things a politician has ever said, and it is a message that every single person should realize.
So often, politicians focus on the other person, instead of themselves.
So often, they rely on crazy ad hominems and accusations to win their arguments, instead of real facts. That's not Giffords.
She knows that we are all humans and therefore, we will disagree, but you can still be friendly with your opponent.
Her letter starts to wrap up with the true resignation. She talks about how she always gave 100 percent when she served in Congress, and in that past year, that's what she had given to her recovery.
She had given her all so she would once again be able to walk on the Congress floor and represent Arizona's eighth Congressional District.
Then, she says, "However now I know that today is not the time. I have more work to do on my recovery before I can again serve in elected office."
She ends by saying, "In the end we come together as Americans to set a course towards greatness."
A woman, torn apart by a tragedy, still gives her all, and fills the American people with so much hope and faith, because she says that is one thing that still remained on January 8, 2011.
Her last remarks in her resignation are filled with hope, as she says that she will return and work alongside her fellow Congress members again. After her letter is read, there were a good four minutes of applause and cheers from the members of the house as Giffords walked across the floor. (The video can be viewed here.)
This woman, who has been so loved both before and after her tragic brain injury, continues to live life to the fullest, and stand up for what she believes in.
She recently completed El Tour de Tucson, a bike ride in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, with her husband Mark Kelly. And, even though she is no longer a Representative, she still stands up for what she believes in and does her part for the American people.
She has appeared at the past two Democratic National Conventions, in 2012 to lead the pledge, and in 2016 to give a speech.
She also went on a bus tour with her husband and others to help campaign for candidates who will stand up to the gun lobby.
But that's not all.
To make sure she could still have an impact in helping people, she and her husband started a campaign called American's For Responsible Solutions, to advocate for the second amendment but at the same time, work to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. Just like when she called her victory a victory for all, Giffords is combining views to ensure that all parties get heard, and all lives are respected.
The majority of the population couldn't tell you who Giffords is.
The majority of the population doesn't even recognize her name.
And the majority of the population doesn't know just how strong the woman who served southern Arizona really is.
She might be under known, but Giffords is truly the definition of a hero.
