850 Hearts Too Many: A Visual Reckoning of School Shooting Victims Since 1984
Each heart represents a life lost. Each life demands our attention. This is not just a number—it’s a call to conscience.
I grew up in a country that promised safety, opportunity, and the chance to learn without fear.
But since 1984—the span of my lifetime—school shootings have stolen 850 students and educators from us.
That number isn’t distant or abstract.
It’s personal.
It’s the backdrop to my life.
To honor them, I created this visual: 850 hearts.
Each one a life cut short.
Each one a family shattered.
Each one a future stolen.
The hearts are bright and colorful—because these kids and teachers were vibrant. They had favorite songs. They had inside jokes. They had dreams.
They were so much more than statistics.
But together, their hearts form a haunting mosaic of what we’ve lost.
Why This Matters
We’ve grown numb to the unimaginable.
We debate policy while children crouch in corners during lockdown drills.
We send “thoughts and prayers” while families bury their children.
We scroll past headlines that should stop us cold.
This visual isn’t meant to be comfortable.
It’s meant to be a reckoning.
What You Can Do
Share the image on social media with the hashtag #850HeartsTooMany
Tag lawmakers and ask them directly: What are you doing to protect our children?
Talk to your community—at school board meetings, in churches, online
Support organizations working to end gun violence and make schools safe
Join the Conversation
I want to hear from you.
Your thoughts. Your grief. Your outrage.
Let’s turn this visual into a movement—because silence is complicity.
And awareness is only the first step toward change.
850 hearts. Too many. Never again.