Sybrina Fulton and  Lesley McSpadden are two mothers forever connected through fatal tragedy. Both women have loss unarmed teenage boys to gun violence after they were profiled and pursued by their killers.

Sybrina knows exactly what Lesley is  going through. When her son Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watchmen George Zimmerman she had to immediately deal with becoming a public figure over night,  protecting her child’s character against defamation broadcast by the national news, and then she had to find strength to carry on while trying to cope with the devastation of burying her eldest child without answers.

This is exactly what Lesley has been experience since the August 6th murder of her first-born child Mike Brown. Sybrina published a letter in TIME in support of the family. It’s heart-breaking and honest words. The harsh reality is that her life will forever be changed.

To The Brown Family,

I wish I had a word of automatic comfort but I don’t. I wish I could say that it will be alright on a certain or specific day but I can’t. I wish that all of the pain that I have endured could possibly ease some of yours but it won’t. What I can do for you is what has been done for me: pray for you then share my continuing journey as you begin yours.

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States are making it more difficult for young people and people of color to vote in the United States of America. The exclusion of eligible citizens from the political process is one of the most serious and dangerous problems facing our democracy right now.

We can not allow discriminatory and dangerous voting laws to remain in effect. Not being able to vote in the society in which you live, is unjust and unreasonable. These dangerous laws are directly targeted at restricting the voting power of young voters and people of color – which we cannot stand for.

These laws are wrong, and we will not sit idly by and watch as the voices of millions of Americans are silenced. We can’t do this alone; we need you to add your name and demand that politicians do their jobs and protect our vote.

Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:

• Attorney General Eric Holder this week traveled to Ferguson Missouri to meet with the family of  Michael Brown, the black youth murdered by a Ferguson police officer. Holder told people in Ferguson that he understood their mistrust in police. Holder said, “I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man. I’ve confronted this myself.” Holder also met with local FBI agents and members of the Justice Department and promised the public a thorough federal investigation of the events that occurred.

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The events following the killing of Michael Brown, an 18-year old black youth from Ferguson, Missouri, have captivated the nation. Out of this tragedy, we have a new opportunity to sustain a real discussion about racism in America, and to act: for peace, for equality, and for justice.

The Department of Justice has the unique capabilities and direct authority to investigate our police departments and enforce fairness, adherence to constitutional values, and the rule of law.

CALL AND EMAIL THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TODAY AND TELL ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER:

Attorney General Holder. Your visit to Ferguson, including meeting with the family of Michael Brown, is an encouraging sign. I would like to see these steps immediately followed by concrete action. I ask that you put the full weight of the Justice Department towards investigating and preventing the unchecked targeting of black and brown youth by law enforcement everywhere.