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Teen Choice Awards 2016: Jessica Alba Honors Gun Violence Victims And Families

By Jovi Figueroa
Published on: 16:06 PST, Jul 31, 2016

The 2016 Teen Choice Awards chooses to host a memorable celebration this year with a tribute to gun violence victims and bereaved families.

Celebrities flashing their best outfits and makeup flock to the Teen Choice Awards 2016, like every year. But this year, celebrities choose to make the celebration about inspiring stories and advocacies, with Jessica Alba leading the call to end gun violence.

At the Teen Choice Awards 2016, Jessica Alba, donning a beautiful black body-hugging ensemble, stood at the stage with family members of victims of gun violence in the U.S.

The kids who Alba took to the Teen Choice Awards stage have all been affected by recent violence that involved guns. We can remember the San Bernardino attack earlier this year and the Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando just this June. One of the latest was the incident in Baton Rouge this month.

Jessica Alba started her speech with introductions.

“Here with me tonight is a group of brave teenagers who share an unlikely bond that is hard to comprehend. They are the brothers, sisters, daughters and family members of recent victims of gun violence. I am talking about Aurora, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Minneapolis, Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown. It keeps happening, and it has to stop.”

Alba continues, telling the stories of the people who have been suffering because of the recklessness of people with guns.

“J.T. [Lewis] was just like you, until he lost his 6-year-old little brother, Jesse Lewis, one of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown. Jolene and Colin wake up every day missing their mother, Bennetta Betbadal, who was one of the 14 people killed in San Bernardino.

“Tonight we stand together with these teens, united in our call for peace and an end to this violence. Now more than ever we need to stop, feel and ask what’s going on.”

Ne-Yo climbs the Teen Choice Awards Stage after Alba to perform Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” In the background, pictures of gun-violence victims and their families flashed to remember their suffering.

Ne-Yo onstage during the Teen Choice Awards 2016. [Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

The tribute ended with Jessica Alba and Ne-Yo encouraging people to post to twitter with the hashtag #StopTheViolence.

A lot of people responded to the call and went to Twitter with the hashtag.

This new campaign is also a huge follow-up to the campaign #BlackLivesMatter.

Alba and Ne-Yo weren’t the only ones bringing their advocacy to the Teen Choice Awards 2016 stage. Jennifer Garner was also doing her part as she accepted an award for her recent film Miracles From Heaven.

Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers accept the Choice Movie: Drama award for ‘Miracles from Heaven.’ [Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

“Thank you, this is for this little lady. That’s for you baby. Thank you so much. Thanks to everyone, we were definitely the underdog in this category. That’s so exciting. It’s amazing to us the impact this movie was able to have, and have all you guys appreciate it means the world to us.

“All the kids who are in a hospital waiting for a miracle, don’t give up hope!”

Miracles From Heaven is a story about Anna Beam (Kylie Rogers) who is living with a rare, incurable disorder that makes her unable to digest food. It highlights the inspiring efforts of her mom (played by Jennifer Garner) who relentlessly searches for a way to save her beloved daughter.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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