Our Statements
Statement in Response to the Racially-Motivated Mass Shooting in Buffalo, New York
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 – This past Saturday, 13 people were killed or injured by an 18-year-old gunman espousing white supremacist ideology. The mass shooting occurred at Tops Supermarket in a primarily Black and Brown neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. Eleven of the victims were Black. No words can soothe the pain and loss that this act of racist terrorism has brought.
As we continue to process this tragic hate crime, we recognize that as an organization, CFR represents primarily Black and Brown families – the same types of families who were violently targeted last weekend. Each day, CFR’s clients routinely face extreme scrutiny by the very systems that are meant to uplift them.
Black and Brown parents conduct emotional labor simply to exist in America – and this labor is intense and exhausting. They are forced to navigate a world where anti-Blackness goes unchecked and danger lurks around every corner – even in a community supermarket. America owes a great debt to its Black citizens; no other group of citizens in this country have paid a higher price for its membership than Black people have.
At a time when hate crimes across New York City have increased by 76%, CFR is committed to fighting for the right of Black and Brown people to live with dignity. We recommit ourselves to speaking out against racist ideology and white supremacist propaganda. We also pledge to influence policy and practice changes to racist systems of oppression that harm Black and Brown families. Finally, we once again proclaim that Black Lives Matter.