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On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron entered a Buffalo grocery store and shot 13 people, killing 10 Black patrons. A reminder there’s almost nowhere for us to feel safe.
But the shooting isn’t even the most terrifying part about this story – there’s something media figures and politicians are working hard to cover up!
Historically, white supremacists were stereotyped as “uneducated rednecks.” More recently, they’re painted by media figures and politicians as individuals with “hate in their heart” – but that’s a lie!
It’s not just a few “bad apples” who “hate” us. White supremacy is a system built to protect white superiority – and it’s organized, popular, and growing.
There are roughly 917 hate groups in America, 450 of which are white supremacist groups with their own networks and resources. Gendron himself wrote an 180-page document detailing his plans to kill Black people – an educational tool for other white supremacists to learn from.
But all is not lost. The white supremacist community is large, but our community is stronger!
Our strong Black community predates enslavement and colonization, and is how we’ve survived generations of racism. Building community is our most powerful form of resistance – Black unity terrifies white supremacists!
While we mourn the victims of the shooting, let's gather in community – like generations before us – and remind each other that living unapologetically Black is how we defeat white supremacy.