Matthew McConaughey spoke at the White House after meeting with families of the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
McConaughey said that he and his wife spent most of last week meeting with, and speaking to, these families.
"The common thread, independent of the anger, confusion, and sadness, was the same. How can these families continue to honor these deaths by keeping the dreams of the children and teachers alive? Again, how can a loss of these lives matter?" (Matthew McConaughey)
McConaughey explained his particular interest in Uvalde, which is his hometown. At the time of the mass shooting, his cellphone did not have a signal as he was inside a studio. When he stepped outside, the shocking news poured in through texts and emails. McConaughey said that Uvalde called him on May 24. The following morning, he and his family drove to Uvalde.
McConaughey said that as he drove into the town, he felt the sense of, "pain, the denial, the disillusionment, anger, blame, sadness, loss of lives, dreams halted".
He told of families wanting to grieve without it being front page news and of morticians struggling, without having slept, to cope with "so many little, innocent bodies" all at once.
McConaughey listed examples of the families he has spoken with, along with brief biographies of several of the victims.
One father had shared that he promised his daughter he would take her to Sea World after getting a new job the week prior to the shooting that killed her.
Another ambitious 9-year-old girl had already contacted Texas A&M University, where she hoped to attend someday so that she could become a marine biologist. She had drawn a red heart on her green high-tops because they represented her love of nature. The shoes were used to identify her body as she was otherwise unrecognizable after the shooting.
McConaughey slammed his fist on the podium at one point and seemed emotion throughout.
"As divided as our country is, this gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on more than we don't. It really is. This should be a non-partisan issue. This should not be a partisan issue. There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of these shooters... Find a middle ground - the place where most of us Americans live anyway...we are not as divided as we are being told we are." (Matthew McConaughey)
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