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On Saturday, an 18-year-old white man armed with an assault rifle attacked shoppers and workers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and wounding three others. In a racist and antisemitic rant posted online beforehand, the gunman described himself as a white supremacist motivated by the "great replacement theory." Mayor Byron Brown said the suspect arrived in Buffalo intending to take "as many black lives as possible."
The vast majority of hate crimes in the U.S. are racist attacks, and Black people are the most frequent targets of hate violence. Anti-Black hate crimes are higher than they have been since the FBI started collecting data on hate crimes in 1991, according to researchers at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
This is the time to stand with the families and survivors in the Buffalo community. This moment demands a collective sense of will and commitment – and a plan for anti-hate training and community engagement throughout the country.
Related: Ten Actions: Stand Up Now to Hate Violence and Racism
In Buffalo, leadership in support of the families who lost loved ones, and a community stand against hate came from the Buffalo Bills Football Team.
Context
From Christchurch to Pittsburgh, El Paso to Buffalo, a racist and antisemitic theory, spread regularly online and on mainstream cable shows, is fueling an eruption of mass killings. “Replacement theory” is at the center of the motivation for the accused killers at Tree of Life and in Buffalo. When white nationalists chanted “Jews will not replace us,” as they marched through the campus of the University of Virginia, many people didn’t understand what they meant. It was a call to action that has clearly been heard.
On this week's PBS Newshour, Eric Ward, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Jelani Cobb, the next dean of the Columbia Journalism School, joined Judy Woodruff to discuss questions of race, white supremacy and extremist ideology. Watch:
This is a Time for Action
“This is a time for action…Unless we want to be a nation riven by increasing violence and terror, all of us – not just those of us who are the targets – must act now to end the propagation of hate speech and unchecked access to militaristic weapons that are trained on our communities.”
— NAACP Legal Defense Fund
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The names of the 10 victims killed at the Buffalo supermarket are written on the street in chalk. It’s part of a growing memorial created by family, friends and total strangers. (Credit: Twitter)
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“We can do something to stop the spread of hate, and our local communities are where we can immediately make a change that can be felt in people’s lives."
— Patrice O’Neill, Not In Our Town founder
Take Action
Now is the time to show support for the Buffalo community.
Here are ways you can support the victims, their families, and our neighbors in the Buffalo community impacted by the racist mass shooting.
How to help the families of the Buffalo shooting victims: Three ways that you can take action and support.
Ways to help in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Buffalo.
In Your Town
Even just one individual or a small group can start a movement to stand up to hate.
Ten Actions: Stand Up Now to Hate Violence and Racism
Communities can also access our Quick Start Guide, Video Portal, Not In Our Schools lesson plans and videos (including ideas for National Bullying Prevention Month), and many more resources. Learn more about what we do and all the ways you can get involved with our movement.
Stand Up to Hate. Together.
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