Crimson Tide Athletes Call for Change After Tragedy

In the wake of the latest mass shooting, the Golden State Warrior's head coach Steve Kerr begged senators in a press conference to vote on the universal background check bill which passed through the House of Representatives last year. University of Alabama athletes took to social media to voice their concerns over the lack of action taken by people in power to prevent these horrific tragedies.

Alabama gymnast and Texas native, Luisa Blanco, released a statement Wednesday expressing the pain she felt after hearing about the shooting which happened a few hours away from her hometown. The elementary shooting hit close to home for Blanco as Uvalde is a predominantly Latinx community and the faces of all the boys and girls killed in the shooting "resembled mine and my family members growing up."

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Blanco notes that it isn't the fact that these mass shootings "bring up issues surrounding the 2nd amendment" that hurts her the most, but more that these incidents expose the "ignorance" that is still prevalent in the United States.

When tragedies like the Uvalde elementary shooting, California Asian church shooting, or the predominantly black Buffalo farmers market shooting occur, the true reason behind the shootings gets overshadowed by politics.

"Moreover, it's sickening to observe how people are first to address issues related to guns, and compete undermine the fact that these tragedies are a result of systemic oppression and racism that is embedded within our nation's history," Blanco said in a tweet.

Other athletes also expressed their sympathy and concern for the victims and their families that were lost in the shooting.