The Teen Choice Awards took a break from handing out surfboards on Sunday evening to tackle an important issue: gun violence.
In a moving tribute to the victims of recent gun violence across the country, actress Jessica Alba introduced many of the teens who’ve been personally affected by shootings in Baton Rouge, Orlando, Dallas, Aurora, Minneapolis, San Bernadino and Newtown. Cameron Sterling, the 15-year-old whose father, Alton Sterling, was shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge in July, was one of the teens on stage.
“Tonight we stand together with these teens, united in our call for peace and an end to this violence,” Alba said on stage. “Now, more than ever, we need to stop, feel and ask: What’s going on?”
Ne-Yo then sang a somber rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” as photos of the victims of gun violence showed up behind him on screen.
“These teens had the courage to come here and share their grief and tonight all of us here need to do the same,” Alba said after the singer’s performance.
Both Ne-Yo and the actress then urged the audience to take out their phones and snaps photos of those on stage to share on social media with the hashtag #StopTheViolence.
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