Reflection on the Mass Shooting in Buffalo
The Out for Undergrad community is grieving with the families and friends of each of the ten people who were racially targeted, killed, and those injured this week at a neighborhood grocery store in Buffalo, New York. It is crucial to speak and remember their names. We honor the lives of Roberta Drury, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Ruth Whitfield.
The alleged mass shooter and self-proclaimed white supremacist responsible for their deaths reported being influenced by the “great replacement,” a conspiracy theory that marks people of color and Jews as threats to our society who “must be eliminated.” Along with people of color and Jews, LGBTQ2+ people and other marginalized communities also become targets. These countless acts of senseless violence that are often rooted in extremism remind us that the call to address anti-Blackness, racism, and antisemitism in all its forms is ever-present and requires vigilance.
Anti-Blackness, racism, white supremacy, and hate crimes must not have a place in our society. It is urgent to continue to strive toward a world where everyone can live without fear of being targeted for their identity. At 04U, we will continue our work to foster an intersectional environment of mutual understanding and respect, social justice, and inclusion development.
As a community supporting high-achieving LGBTQ2+ students, we have the power and the responsibility to combat any hate. We must continue to educate ourselves about domestic extremism and continue our commitment to strengthening our O4U community. These practices are based on deep support of voice and agency, positive self-image, authenticity, inclusion, and intersectionality while rejecting ideologies and beliefs that divide and isolate us.
Together, we can and will continue to offer alternatives to hate, stigma, discrimination, and isolation.
We invite you to donate to the National Black Justice Coalition as part of your commitment in this work. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/200667808
