Just before Pink’s appearance, a handful of people affected by gun violence — from survivors to family members — delivered a powerful series of speeches calling for gun reform. “Our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve,” said Rep. Lucy McBath, whose son died as a result of gun violence. “We will secure the safer future that we all deserve. We will organize. We will advocate. We will run for office.”

Other speakers included Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivor Abbey Clements and Kim Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting. Gun survivors Melody McFadden and Edgar Vilchez also appeared on stage together. “Parents are reaching out to their children,” Rubio said. “I’m reaching out to the child I’ll never hold again.”

In 2019, Pink drew criticism from conservative figures after she reposted Brian Bilston’s poem “America Is a Gun.” The poem reads: “England is a cup of tea/ France, a wheel of cured brie/ Greece, a short, stocky olive tree/ America is a gun … Japan is a hot spring/ Scotland is a highland splurge/ Oh, better to be anything/ Than America is a gun.”

At the time, Fox News contributor Britt McHenry shared a now-deleted tweet that read: “There is nothing ‘better’ to be than an American. In our turmoil, our weaknesses, our struggles, unity is what we need right now. I believe @pink. America is the country that loves you and helped you become a star. As a fan of your music, I am disappointed.”

The singer responded with a swift and direct defense. “I believe there is nothing ‘better’ than being human,” Pink said. “Every country has its beauty,+its struggles. We should all think of people first. And I also believe that art is meant to create dialogue, which is what posting this poem did. Dissenting opinions are the cornerstone of democracy.”