A tragedy happened in Matthew McConaughey’s hometown when an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school on May 24.
McConaughey took to Instagram to share a message with his 6.3 million followers.
“The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?’ We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”
“As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above the devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.”
“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured,” He wrote.
He concluded his note by addressing those who are grieving. “To those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye,” he shared, “no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”