I never thought I’d write something like this. Not in 2025. Not after everything we’ve already endured. But here we are again — grieving, angry, confused. The Fulbright University shooting has left a scar on all of us, and for some, that wound may never fully heal.
I watched the news roll in slowly at first. A lockdown. Then rumors of a gunman. And then the unthinkable — multiple victims. Lives shattered. Dreams extinguished in a matter of minutes. Among the injured… Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.
Yes, that Shiloh. The daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. A young woman who had just started to step into her own identity, away from the towering fame of her parents. A student at Fulbright, pursuing arts and global affairs, passionate about humanitarian work. Reports say she was shot while trying to help another student get to safety. She’s currently in critical condition. And all I can think is — why?
This isn’t about politics right now. This isn’t left or right. It’s life or death. And today, it was death. For too many. The names of the victims haven’t all been released yet, but each of them was somebody’s child. Somebody’s best friend. Somebody’s soulmate. Someone who had plans for this weekend. Someone who should be alive right now.
Witnesses say the shooter — a former student — walked into a crowded lecture hall and opened fire without hesitation. Professors shielded students with their own bodies. Desks were flipped as makeshift barricades. Phones lit up as students texted their parents, possibly for the last time.
It’s surreal. It’s heartbreaking. It’s infuriating.
I keep going back to Shiloh. Not because her life is more important than anyone else’s, but because it reminds us that no one is immune. No amount of money, no level of fame, no security detail can protect you when our society refuses to address the root of this problem. The daughter of two of the most powerful people in Hollywood lay bleeding in a hallway at a university that promised safety, learning, and a future.
And Angelina… Brad… I can’t imagine the helplessness. The anguish. These are parents just like the rest of us. Shiloh was their child. This violence doesn’t care who you are. It comes for us all. Rich, poor, Black, white, famous, or forgotten.
Students should not be preparing evacuation plans with their roommates instead of studying for midterms. Parents should not be getting calls from hospitals instead of their children. Celebrities should not be planning funerals for their sons and daughters. And America should not be numb to this anymore.
Fulbright was supposed to be a place for visionaries. For future leaders. For hope. But today, it’s a crime scene. A place of trauma. A headline.
We owe it to the victims — and to Shiloh — to not let this fade. To not scroll past. To not accept this as just “another shooting.”
I don’t have all the answers. But I do know this: we can’t keep living like this. We can’t keep dying like this. Something has to change. And if this tragedy isn’t enough to wake us up, I don’t know what will be.
To the families: we see you. We mourn with you. And we promise — at least some of us — to keep fighting for a better, safer future.
Hold your people close tonight. Say the things you’ve been putting off. And please… don’t let this moment be forgotten.
