Quinta Brunson seems to have a very charmed life now, but growing up in West Philadelphia she was not immune to danger and strife. “I’ve lost classmates to [gun violence], family members, friends,” she told Rolling Stone. Among the tragic losses was her cousin Tyrese, who was shot and killed while crossing the street.
It was a death that shook Brunson, but she was hesitant to talk about it at the time while living in LA. “… I was in the land of fun and sunshine. And for me, that experience felt very unique to living in Philadelphia, to being a young, Black woman from Philadelphia, even … And gun violence, to me, just felt so specific to me and specific to home. And I didn’t want to share that hurt with people who didn’t understand it,” the actor shared with NPR.
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But Brunson eventually did become more vocal. She discussed with Rolling Stone how she approached West Philadelphia Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier on social media. “… I was like, ‘Is anybody doing anything about this?’ My cousin had just died, and I just was, at that point, mad. I was like, ‘I’m simply tired of this. Is anyone even trying?'” In October 2020 Brunson and Councilwoman Gauthier held an Instagram Live to speak about gun violence and how it was affecting the community where Brunson grew up.
