'I wanted to personally stand up here and share this moment because on Aug. 21, 2008, I watched Ryan McDonald, my 15-year-old classmate at Central High School, lose his life to a gun in our cafeteria.'
"On March 27, 2023, three 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, along with Dr. Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, and Mike Hill, walked into the Covenant School and didn't walk out," Ballerini said."The community of sorrow over this and the 130 mass shootings in the US this year alone stretches from coast to coast.".
"I wanted to personally stand up here and share this moment because on Aug. 21, 2008, I watched Ryan McDonald, my 15-year-old classmate at Central High School, lose his life to a gun in our cafeteria," Ballerini said. At the end of Ballerini's speech, she dedicated the awards show, which took place in Austin, Texas, to everyone affected by gun violence.
"Tonight's broadcast is dedicated to the ever-growing list of families, friends, survivors, witnesses, and responders, whose lives continue to forever be changed by gun violence," she said."I pray deeply that the closeness and the community we feel through the next few hours of music can soon turn into action, like real action that moves us forward together to create change for the safety of our kids and our loved ones.
This wasn't the first time Ballerini has opened up about witnessing gun violence.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kelsea Ballerini Honors Nashville School Shooting Victims at CMTsBallerini shared that she survived a school shooting herself in 2008.
Read more »
All Grown Up! Ashlee Simpson Shares Pic of ‘Giant’ Son BronxEvan Ross declared his stepson, Bronx, a 'stud' during a Simpson-Ross family vacation.
Read more »
Tennessee governor to expand proposal for armed guards in schools after Nashville shootingTennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he plans to expand a school safety measure to place school resource officers at every school after last week's school shooting in Nashville.
Read more »
ACLU slaps Pennsylvania school district with lawsuit for banning After School Satan ClubThe ACLU alleges a Pennsylvania school district violated the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause by rescinding an After School Satan Club's rights to use district facilities.
Read more »
Opinion: If the Denver school board won’t ensure school safety, vote them outOpinion | 'DPS must create a safe and supportive learning environment for its students. Until they can deliver, Denver voters would be wise to take a hard look at the Denver school board candidates on the ballot this fall.'
Read more »
From a shiny trumpet come a few squeaky notes, a new passion and lessons in focus and persistence: Cleveland’s PromiseA fifth-grader, Brandon doesn’t typically participate much during his regular classes. But in Almira’s after-school music program, where about a half-dozen students consistently show up for lessons, Brandon is fully engaged and focused on improvement.
Read more »