Kelly Clarkson Calls for a “Moment of Action” Instead of a Moment of Silence at 2018 Billboard Music Awards
Host Kelly Clarkson kicked off Sunday night’s 2018 Billboard Music Awards on an extremely emotional note. Instead of diving right into the night’s celebration of music and musicians, the singer first called attention to Friday’s school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, asking the audience and viewers to take action against gun violence instead of simply sending “thoughts and prayers.”
“There’s something I’d like to say about the tragedy Friday at Santa Fe High School,” Kelly said, apologizing for tearing up. “I’m a Texas girl, and my home state has had so much heartbreak over this past year. And once again, y’all, we’re grieving for more kids that have died for just absolutely no reason at all. Tonight, they wanted me to say that, obviously, we want to pray for all the victims and pray for their families. But they also wanted me to do a moment of silence.”
But that’s not enough, Kelly said. “I’m so sick of moments of silence. It’s not working. Like, obviously,” she said. “So why don’t we not do a moment of silence? Why don’t we do a moment of action? Why don’t we do a moment of change? Why don’t we change what’s happening? Because it’s horrible.” She continued, “Mamas and daddies should be able to send their kids to school, to church, to movie theaters, to clubs. You should be able to live your life without that kind of fear.”
She finished on a powerful note. “We need to do better. As people, we are failing our children, we’re failing our communities, we’re failing their families. I can’t imagine—I have four children. I cannot imagine getting that phone call or that knock on the door. So instead of a moment of silence, I want to respect them and honor them tonight, y’all. In your community where you live, your friends, everybody, let’s have a moment of action. Let’s have a moment of change.”
On Friday morning, a student killed nine students and one teacher at Santa Fe High School, located not far from Houston. 10 more people were injured in the gunfire. If you want to support the victims and survivors of the shooting, check out our guide to taking action here.
Related: Parkland Students Show Support to Santa Fe School Shooting Survivors
