Shoulder to Shoulder Buffalo Statement
May 18, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Nina.Fernando@s2scampaign.org; 202–599–8254
Roberta A. Drury, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield. Our hearts break with the communities and families grieving the lives lost in the Buffalo, NY shooting on May 14th, 2022 and for all those who are harmed by white supremacy in our nation.
The act of violence that targeted Black communities in Buffalo was not an isolated event. It is tied to a long history of violence rooted in white supremacy that targets Black, Brown, Muslim, Jewish, Indigenous, immigrant, and other marginalized communities. White supremacy is lethal; it aims to keep us divided and afraid of each other and to reinforce the big lie that white people are the only ones worthy of protection, religious freedom, prosperity, and generational joy.
At the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign, we will continue to equip, connect, and mobilize individuals and communities in the work of building a nation where all people are treated with dignity and respect. We will continue to create spaces for learning and transformation for people who are not directly targeted by hate, discrimination, racism, and violence to realize their responsibility in working alongside and in solidarity with our siblings who are directly impacted. We will continue to invite individuals and communities of all faiths and backgrounds to draw our circles of belonging wider.
Our thoughts and prayers will be joined by our actions.
Statements from Shoulder to Shoulder’s National Partners (We will continue to add statements as they are released. If you have a statement to add please contact: Cassandra Lawrence at Cassandra.Lawrence@S2SCampaign.org):
- The Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Curry: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/publicaffairs/pastoral-statement-on-mass-shooting-in-buffalo-from-episcopal-church-presiding-bishop-michael-curry
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/8143?fbclid=IwAR0CkW0JuwIUUP0iE_4-EbhJFqRCN65FpiXJFDI1OETs2k1uRbYstTmC5SE
- Faith In Public Life: https://www.faithinpubliclife.org/news/in-wake-of-buffalo-shooting-faith-leaders-condemn-white-christian-nationalism-2/
- Interfaith Center of New York: https://interfaithcenter.org/statement-on-anti-black-domestic-terror-in-buffalo/
- Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington: https://ifcmw.org/let-us-link-arms/?fbclid=IwAR3mNXBvEsMmAwK4ZgFbgsihufsIgWgrjhBJebPdsN-mTaXik_LeWM4PPgw
- National Council of Churches: http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/ncc-anguished-by-the-white-supremist-attack-in-buffalo/
- The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism: https://rac.org/press-room/reform-jewish-movement-responds-massacre-buffalo
- Sisters of Mercy: https://sistersofmercy.org/news/mercy-buffalo-statement/
- TriFaith Initiative: https://www.trifaith.org/we-can-only-be-human-together/
- United Church of Christ: https://www.ucc.org/ucc-officers-pray-for-healing-following-racist-killings-at-buffalo-grocery-store/
Resources and Buffalo led organizations. If you’re looking for ways to support the community in Buffalo here are a few options. If you have a resource to add please contact: Cassandra Lawrence at Cassandra.Lawrence@S2SCampaign.org:
