BUFFALO – The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today remembered the victims of the racist massacre at a TOPS Grocery Store in Buffalo, New York on May 15, 2022. Payton Gendron, just 19-years-old at the time, killed 10 people after targeting the predominantly Black neighborhood. Members of the Collaborative – which includes members from Florida (Faith in Florida), Georgia (the New Georgia Project), Louisiana (the Power Coalition for Equity & Justice), Mississippi (Southern Echo), and Tennessee (Memphis Artists for Change) – released the following statement:
“The continued gun violence in America has become an epidemic,” said Rev. Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida. “No one is safe. Our families and children are no longer safe in schools, universities, malls, movie theaters, and grocery stores. Many lawmakers choose to ignore or not address the safety of all Americans. I am unsure what more it would take for this matter to be resolved. My prayers and thoughts go out to the residents of Buffalo, New York.”
