STATEMENT: White Supremacy is a plague on America

May 16, 2022

Contact: Corey Greer, Communications Director | cgreer@wand.org | 202-459-4769

WASHINGTON - In response to the murder of 10 Black Americans in a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, NY, WAND’s Executive Director, Nancy Parrish, released the following statement:

“WAND condemns, in the strongest words possible, the horrific, racist, hate crimes perpetrated against the Black community in Buffalo, NY by a man motivated by the white supremacy that plagues our nation. We mourn with the grieving families of those killed and injured and with all communities impacted by this brutal violence.

“The murderer protected his body with bullet-proof attire while using an automatic rifle with outlawed magazines to gun down innocent lives. Emboldened by outrageous beliefs that are no longer confined to the fringe and regularly voiced by politicians and some in the mainstream media, he executed ten people while they shopped for groceries.

“It is no coincidence that the Jefferson Avenue Tops is the only supermarket in a food desert; the existence of which are continued markers of the persistent structural violence in our society. As we remember and mourn the victims of this attack, we recognize the long history of white supremacy in this country and the many visible representations in our voting systems, infrastructure, and educational systems. We recommit ourselves to loudly challenging the scourge of white nationalism in our society and working with our partners to build policies rooted in community and care.

“White supremacy and easy access to weapons of war are a lethal combination that threatens the integrity of our nation and safety of its people."

We remember and mourn the lives of:

Celestine Chaney, 65

Roberta A. Drury, 32

Andre Mackneil, 53

Katherine Massey, 72

Margus D. Morrison, 52

Heyward Patterson, 67

Aaron Salter Jr., 55

Geraldine Talley, 62

Ruth Whitfield, 86

Pearl Young, 77