James Shaw, Jr.

29, Community Hero

James Shaw, Jr., has been marked by that early morning in April. Flashbacks
haunt him everyday, he says, and his sleep is inconsistent and light. When
he tells his story, the one that made him into a national figure celebrated
by organizations as disparate as BET and the Trump administration, he
absently touches a finger to the bullet scar just above his right elbow. “[The
shooting] is still there, for sure,” the 29-year-old says.
After the Antioch Waffle House shooting in the early hours of April 22,
during which Shaw challenged, charged, and disarmed a mass shooter
who had already killed three, the North Nashville native saw his life change
forever. But with the scars came celebration, and he was honored by every
major Nashville sports team, given awards by both MTV and BET, and, yes,
even called by president Donald Trump.
But Shaw, who launched his eponymous foundation in August, is refusing
to let either celebrity or tragedy distract him from using
his newfound social cache for good. After reflecting
on his ordeal, Shaw has become a staunch advocate
for mental healthcare, selecting it as a pillar of his
foundation’s focus. “There’s something there,” he says
of his shooter’s mental state. “Normal people don’t
act like that.”
As a man of faith, Shaw has come to understand
that there are bigger plans for his life than he’d
ever considered prior to that Sunday morning.
He’s back at his alma mater, Tennessee State
University, finishing an interdisciplinary degree
in psychology and criminal justice. “I feel like if
I’m gonna talk about it, I need to know about
it,” he explains. And his plans, while ambitious,
are what a man given a new life might aspire:
“I’ve really been thinking about being mayor,
then senator, then president,” he says. “But
one of my real goals is the Nobel Peace
Prize.”
What made Shaw an especially
compelling figure during that Sunday
press conference, mere hours after
his heroism, was his outright refusal
to be labeled a hero. “A hero takes
care of the whole situation,” he says,
explaining that he failed because
people died. Call it survivor’s guilt
or a moral code higher than any
one man should bear. But with
his foundation’s reach and his political
aspirations, maybe, by his own definition, Shaw
is becoming the hero to himself everyone already
believes him to be.
“I have a responsibility now. I can’t just go through the
situation and leave it,” he says. “To make the situation better,
the way I see it, is to do what I’m doing, and the way I can
help is to reach as many people as possible.” —Jon Gugala

ON JAMES: 3.50 CTW Diamond Stud Earrings,

Tag Heuer Carrera watch, John Hardy Lapis Lazuli
and silver bracelet, John Hardy Batu Dot gold
and silver bead bracelet with white moonstones
(groganjewelers.com)

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