Uvalde Elementary
This past month, our hearts were heavy as news emerged out of Uvalde,Texas, home to the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012. This time 19 children and two teachers were lost to senseless gun violence. For the predominantly Latinx community, we grieve and demand action. Our community deserves more. According to a study from the Violence Policy Center, the homicide victimization rate for Latinx folks in the United States is nearly twice as high as the homicide victimization rate for whites.
Whether it’s Uvalde,Texas or Buffalo, New York, every Black and brown life lost to white-supremacy fueled gun violence is heartbreaking. This news is particularly difficult, and we are grateful to have Latinas in newsrooms covering these stories. Lissete Lanuza Sáenz and Marjua Estevez exposed the deep problem with conflating immigration and gun control. While Stella M. Chávez and Acacia Coronado continue to cover the news and keep us all up to date on the information coming out of Uvalde.
“Gun violence is literally baked into the U.S. story and continues to enable a culture of border patrols and mass shooters — of all races and ethnicities.” – Marjua Estevez
- Op-Ed: The Uvalde Shooting Isn’t About Immigration, It’s About Gun Laws
- After the Uvalde Shooting, We Need Gun Control — Not More Border Security
- Gunman Kills 19 Children, 2 Adults in Texas School Rampage
- Uvalde families to begin burying loved ones this week
Supporting Eachother
What happened in Uvalde deserves not only our attention but also our actions. That is why we are dedicating this section to things you can do to help the community.
Whether donating to a GoFundMe Campaign or calling your senators, we can all do something to help keep all our families safe. Emily Hernandez and María Méndez created a resource for the Texas Tribune on various ways to help the victims and their families.
“Our elected officials owe us more than thoughts and prayers—it’s time to enact common-sense solutions.” – Everytown
- How You Can Help: Donate to Uvalde, Texas Elementary School Shooting Relief
- Here’s how to help Uvalde shooting victims, survivors and their families
- Six Things the Senate Can Do to Prevent Senseless Shootings After the Tragedy in Uvalde, TX
Gun Violence in the Latinx Community
Uvalde isn’t an isolated incident. The truth is we are losing Latinx people in the United States to gun violence every day and at a disproportionate rate. We are also increasingly the target of explicit hate crimes like that in El Paso in 2019. And young people are getting the worst of it – as the Violence Policy Center reports, “Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 15 to 24.”
Stricter gun laws are key to keeping our communities safe now and in the future. Each year, more than 4,100 Latinx people die from gun violence in the US. These reports outline the various ways Latinx communities continue to be targeted by gun violence and how we can continue to confront the powers that be for change.
“Latinx people are also disproportionately impacted by police violence. In an average year, police shoot and kill over 200 Latinx people, and at a rate higher than white people.” – Everytown
Featured Stories
- Neighboring florists step in to help provide flowers for Uvalde funerals by Karen Zamora
- Support For Gun Control Will Likely Rise After Uvalde. But History Suggests It Will Fade. by Elena Mejía
- 27 school shootings have taken place so far this year by Jaclyn Diaz
LatinaMedia Co, uplifts Latina and femme Latinx perspective in media. We publish original pieces of criticism, amplify the on-going work of Latina and gender non-conforming Latinx critics, and lift up Latinx media.
