FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: 

Yesenia Padilla, yesenia@lavoice.org, 415.269.3178

Los Angeles Faith Leaders Gather in Wake of Uvalde School Shooting

Multi-racial, multi-faith community organization LA Voice hosts press conference with spiritual leaders in Los Angeles to mourn the loss of life in Uvalde, Texas

LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, multi-racial, multi-faith organization LA Voice brought Angeleno faith leaders for a press conference commenting on the devastating mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in which 19 children and two adults lost their lives, as well as the devastating shootings in Buffalo and Laguna Woods. 

 Faith leaders at the conference, which was held outside of the LAUSD Board Offices, called for more stringent policies around gun control, and invited the public to attend an Ecumenical and Interfaith Community Vigil to Honor the lives of the Souls lost at the recent Buffalo, Laguna Woods, and Uvalde shootings on Monday, May 30, 2022 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. at 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (City Hall West). This event is hosted by Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), SCLC, BEND THE ARC along with Clergy 4 Black Lives & NAACP-SFV and Black Jewish Justice Alliance (BJJA). 

Speakers included: 

• Rev. Eddie Anderson, LA Voice, McCarty Memorial Christian Church

• Rabbi Susan Goldberg, Nefesh

• Pastor Cue Jn-Marie, Church Without Walls, CLUE/Clergy4Black Lives

• Rev. Carlos Rincon, Centro de Vida Victoriosa Church

• Rev. William D. Smart Jr., Southern Christian Leadership Conference

• Professor Samar Dalati Ghannoum, The Islamic Center of Southern California

• Fr. Brendan Busse, Dolores Mission

“We mourn the loss of life these horrific acts of violence bring, and we hold space for the difficult emotions that bubble up at this time,” said Rabbi Jocee Hudson, Clergy and Formation Lead at LA Voice. “We are people of different races and backgrounds, impacted differently in these moments, but our connection as people of faith calls upon us to be in community in the face of tragedy. 

We must also continue to act. We know that it is our sacred responsibility to build our Beloved Community and exercise power. And so, we hold those we have elected to represent us responsible. They have failed us. And we call on them, unequivocally, in one voice wailing in unison: pass sensible gun legislation now. Our babies are being murdered.”

“This is a moment in which we are called to come together to face the evil and violence thrown at the most vulnerable in our community,” said Rev. Eddie Anderson, South LA Regional Community Organizer for LA Voice and pastor of McCarty Memorial Christian Church. “In this moment, we are called to act against racism, white supremacy and inequity and use our power as communities of faith to ensure policies are passed that protect our children and our communities.”

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LA Voice is a multi-racial, multi-faith community organization that awakens people to their own power, training them to speak, act, and work together to transform our County into one that reflects the dignity of all people.