150-Rod-Brandon.png Caption:  SHA Executive Director Rod Brandon

Dear SHA Community,

It’s hard to find the words to describe the massacre in Buffalo on Saturday that killed 10 people and left three wounded during a weekend afternoon of grocery shopping. It was a carefully planned attack with one purpose: murder as many Black people as possible. The shooter acted alone but was motivated by paranoid, hateful, racist conspiracy theories that are promoted through social media and increasingly by mainstream media.

This has to stop. It’s not free speech. It is dangerous, violent rhetoric and it has driven an 18-year-old to murder innocent Black shoppers in Buffalo, a 21-year-old to kill Black parishioners attending bible study at their church in Charleston, a 21-year-old to kill Hispanics shopping at Walmart in El Paso, a 21-year-old to seek out and kill Asian Americans at their businesses in Atlanta and many other horrific incidents of racist mass murder. These shooters are not random or dreaming up on their own the belief that they must execute certain groups of people. They are learning racist theories that instill in them the idea that they must commit violence. This cancer is spread through social media and other outlets, many of which are owned by large corporations not doing enough to stop it.

Every racially motivated attack and hate crime is terrifying and traumatizing to people of color and other targeted groups who suffer another grim reminder that they could be harmed as they go about their daily lives for nothing more than the color of their skin, their religious beliefs or who they love.

Racism is a disease and legacy we must face up to and eradicate. It does not represent our nation and the values we uphold. We are a stronger, richer country for the diversity of our people. This growing diversity is cause for celebration and pride, not fear.

Saturday’s shooting was a tragic example of racism in its most destructive form, and I have encouraged SHA staff to think about it in terms of SHA’s commitment to race and social justice and anti-racism. What can we – as people of color who are victims and white people seeking to be anti-racist – do more of, do differently or do better? How can we influence small and large changes that contribute to the elimination of racism and hate in our society?  

As we continue this difficult and critical work, our hearts go out to the Buffalo victims, their loved ones and the community.

Rod Brandon

SHA Executive Director