Jessica Alba introduced the teen relatives of gun violence victims (opens in new tab) (among them, Alton Sterling's (opens in new tab) son Cameron) at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, and it was equal parts emotional and inspiring. The moment was pretty socially aware for a light-hearted show, and speaks to the fact that gun violence touches every corner of our nation.
"Here with me tonight are a group of brave teenagers who share an unlikely bond that's hard to comprehend," Alba said (opens in new tab). "They are the brothers, sisters, daughters and family members of recent victims of gun violence: I'm talking about Aurora, Baton Rogue, Dallas (opens in new tab), Minneapolis, Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown. It keeps happening, and it has to stop."
"A few weeks ago Cameron's world was turned upside down when he learned his father, Alton Sterling, was killed while selling CDs out of a store in Baton Rogue," Alba continued. "Tonight we stand together with these teens, united in our call for peace and an end to this violence. Now, more than ever, we need to stop, feel, and ask what's going on."
After a performance of "What's Going On" from Ne-Yo, a visibly emotional Alba said that "these teens had the courage to come here and share their grief and tonight, Ne-Yo and I, and all of us here, and all of you watching need to do the same."
It's so important to talk about gun violence even when the cultural dialogue moves on to another topic, so kudos to the TCAs for continuing the conversation in this valuable way.
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