Matthew McConaughey is speaking out after the tragic, horrific and unthinkable school shooting that took place yesterday in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
Nineteen students and two adults were killed at Robb Elementary school Tuesday afternoon, and as the heartbreak and sadness continues to deepen as we learn more about what took place, Matthew is calling upon all Americans to take a hard look in the mirror and “ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value?'”
Matthew was born in the small city of Uvlade (about 85 miles west of San Antonio) in 1969, and spent his early childhood there until his family moved to Longview. His mother was a teacher at a school about a mile from Robb elementary where the shooting took place, according to Entertainment Tonight.
Yesterday, he posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram account, expressing his sadness for the families who lost loved ones, and calling on every American to take responsibility in helping figure out how we truly fix this problem and ensure nothing like it ever happens again:
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.
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, mother 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 this 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.
And to those who dropped their loved one off today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”
Our hearts go out to the families effected by this unspeakable tragedy.
Photos were recently released of some of the children who were victims of this awful act, and the sadness that the parents, families and friends of these sweet, innocent babies will feel as they grieve their loss today and forever is just unimaginable.
Two teachers were also killed, including Eva Mireles, who had worked in the school district for 17 years:
