Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Cheryl Stumbo, 2019Biographical NoteCheryl Stumbo was born at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia in 1962. She grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and in Bremerton, Washington, outside of Seattle. Her father was in the United States Navy and her mother trained as a nurse and taught special education. Stumbo attended college in Seattle and graduated in 1984. She worked in public relations for tech companies in Seattle, with a two year stretch in San Francisco. She started working in the non-profit sector, eventually joining the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. She was working there on July 28, 2006 when a shooter attacked the building. Stumbo and five other women were shot, and one died. Stumbo's teenage niece Kelsey was visiting from Corvallis, Oregon that week and arrived at the building just as the attack began. Stumbo was shot in the abdomen and needed twenty surgeries in the following three years. Raised Unitarian, Stumbo converted to Judaism in the late 2010s. In 2017, Stumbo became Survivor Program Manager with Everytown for Gun Safety
Scope and ContentsThis life history oral history interview with Cheryl Stumbo documents her life trajectory; her experiences in a 2006 shooting in Seattle, Washington; the aftermath; and gun violence prevention. Stumbo begins the interview describing her youth in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Bremerton, Washington. Some topics include attending elementary school during integration, her father's experiences in the Navy, her Unitarian upbringing, and moving to Bremerton. She discusses her experiences at college, working in public relations in the tech industry, and ultimately being employed with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. The bulk of the interview addresses her experiences during and following a shooting at the Jewish Federation in 2006. She and five others were shot, and one woman was killed. She recounts her memories of the day including being shot in the abdomen, the others who were shot, and frantically looking for her niece who was due to visit right as the shooting unfolded. Stumbo also describes the physical and psychological aftereffects: being placed in an induced coma for a week, extensive surgeries, severe depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and relearning to read and drive. Stumbo details the experience of her niece Kelsey: the gunman put a gun to her head and demanded that she let him into the building, she hid in the bathroom, and she called 911. Stumbo speaks about Kelsey's PTSD, her difficulty finding therapy in the first year, and their matching Phoenix tattoos. Stumbo describes the trial, her political activism, and her work with Everytown for Gun Safety's Survivor Network. She analyzes American gun culture, the influence of the National Rifle Association, Washington state background check laws, and "red flag" laws
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by Cheryl Stumbo. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities
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