Manuel Oliver’s 17-year-old son Joaquin was murdered in the 2018 Parkland shooting. Since then, he has taken to art and activism to fight to protect the lives of children across the country.

Manuel sits down with Alyssa to talk about Joaquin, how he’s using activism and art to make a difference, the gun debate in America, and his organization, Change the Ref. Manuel and his wife Patricia founded Change the Ref in the memory of Joaquin and to empower future leaders. They are committed to making sure that their son’s life and the lives of the other 16 victims are never forgotten and that real change occurs to prevent future tragedies like this from happening again.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains content that may be triggering for those affected by gun violence and mass shootings.