Statement from UWW President & CEO on Uvalde Shooting

Statement from Angela F. Williams, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide

My heart is with the community of Uvalde, Texas, and the many people who’ve lost loved ones at the hands of gun violence. It’s beyond devastating that 19 children and two adults were killed in the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Just as heart-wrenching is the fact that it’s the second-deadliest school shooting in America, coming less than two weeks after the racially motivated mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket.

Schools should be a safe haven for our children. Grocery stores should not be dangerous places. Our churches, mosques and temples should be safe places to worship. Bars, festivals, restaurants, sidewalks -- and homes -- should be safe.  It must stop. I’m committed to doing whatever I can to make that happen.

As I’ve said to my congregation in Chicago, we need to lead with love. We are all someone’s child, relative, neighbor, and friend.  ​Let us pray for peace as these family members, neighbors and friends grieve their tremendous loss and begin the healing process.