Yesterday, May 24th, an 18-year-old gunman stormed Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas killing at least 19 children and two adults, and injuring many others. Victims were taken to Uvalde Memorial Hospital and University Hospital in San Antonio, per statements from the hospitals.
Coming on the heels of the shooting at Tops Market in Buffalo, this attack was the latest in a series of mass shootings that have fueled an intense debate between gun control and second amendment advocates. Both Republican and Democratic leaders have spoken out about the tragedy, offering condolences, and calls for more aggressive action from the current administration and congress. Senator Chris Murphy (CT) gave an emotional speech on the Senate floor begging his colleagues to take action on gun control shortly after the news broke.
Influential figures have also been using their platforms to call for action from the government. Golden State Warriors coach Steven Kerr used his press time after the Game 4 Final to ignore questions about the game and pleaded for gun reform before storming out.
Our recommendation:
We’re seeing that brands are remaining silent for the most part. As we learned with #BLM and January 6th, unless committing to a larger action or contributing in a meaningful way, words and presence from brands can feel empty, even unnecessary, on social. Strongly consider remaining dark today as social users use their platforms today to mourn the victims and call for gun reform.