Our hearts and sympathies go out to the victims and survivors that were involved in the shooting in Buffalo, NY. We’ve seen an uprise in racially motivated shootings since 2021 and feel that now more than ever, is the time to take concrete action to continue to address these issues.
It is with further sadness, that we acknowledge another tragic and unconscionable school shooting that took place on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. Unimaginably, at the time that the horror of this event was taking place, our committee was finalizing the following statement on the Buffalo shootings. In addition to the addressing the hate crime that was perpetrated in Buffalo, we now must once again collectively shake our heads at our national shame – mass shootings. As Tucsonans, we all are part of a community that has directly dealt with the loss and grief in the wake of this type of violence. We offer our truest condolences and prayers – the authenticity of which unfortunately are only borne of common, tragic experience – to the children, families, teachers, first responders, and community members directly and indirectly affected by yesterday’s events.
Shootings like the one in Buffalo and other incidents of violence directly affect communities of color as well as our community as a whole. When we don’t educate ourselves and others, then people of color, who have already endured too much bigotry, animus, and inequality throughout the history of our great country, continue to suffer. Though we have made progress, too many of our institutions are still deeply ingrained with prejudice which produce unequal opportunities and outcomes. These outcomes are then insidiously used as justification by some to continue to treat people differently, and the cycle remains unbroken.
Our committee is specifically focused on the inequality we see in the area of capital access. But it is just one of many symptoms of the racism and bias that white supremacy has institutionally weaponized. Inequality, in our view, is both a result of and an ongoing cause of white supremacy. And it is the reason that providing more access to more resources to communities of color is part of the solution to this ongoing problem and violence.
Our BIPOC loan fund committee and partners will continue to grow and reshape the way our communities of color are being overlooked and left behind.
We challenge other community partners, City, County, and State officials, and YOU to be the change that we expect to see in our community.
– – The BIPOC Loan Fund Committee
May The Victim’s Memories be A Blessing
Roberta A. Drury, 32, of Buffalo, Margus D. Morrison, 52, of Buffalo, Andre Mackniel, 53, of Auburn, New York, Aaron Salter, 55, of Lockport, New York, Geraldine Talley, 62, of Buffalo. Celestine Chaney, 65, of Buffalo, Heyward Patterson, 67, of Buffalo, Katherine Massey, 72, of Buffalo, Pearl Young, 77, of Buffalo, Ruth Whitfield, 86, of Buffalo
Learn more about the BIPOC Community-Managed Loan Fund here
