Melanie Campbell, NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable Convener, Releases Statement on the Racially Motivated Buffalo Massacre Targeting Black Americans
WASHINGTON D.C. – Melanie L. Campbell, President & CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), issued the following statement regarding the racially-motivated killing of ten innocent people in Buffalo, NY on May 14th:
“Our hearts, prayers, and sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of those ten people (primarily black) who were fatally shot and killed on Saturday in that unspeakable hate crime that took place at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY. No amount of words or actions can begin to replace the loss that these families have tragically experienced at the hands of a demented, racist, white nationalist, and domestic terrorist.
“By all public accounts, the 18-year-old white male who committed this heinous and evil act was radicalized, fueled, motivated, and energized by white supremacist rhetoric that now openly exists throughout America in plain view as well as within the realm of social media.
“That racial hatred prompted this domestic terrorist to post his twisted views two days before the Buffalo massacre on social media in a manifesto citing the “Great Replacement” theory, a false idea that white Americans are going to be replaced with nonwhite people through immigration, interracial marriage and, eventually, violence.
“Unfortunately, this same sort of twisted rhetoric infects the attitudes and actions of some who are trying to wield absolute power over the bodies, economic existence, and the votes of Black and brown communities, nationwide.
“As Americans who believe in true democracy and peaceful coexistence, at all costs, we must ‘Stand Up and Fight Back’ against those racist forces that wish to do us harm and strip us of our God-given rights.
“As a civil rights, economic and social justice organization, we are committed to encouraging the U. S. Justice Department to actively investigate and prosecute this hate crime and domestic terrorist act to the fullest extent of the law. We will also continue to challenge local, state and federal law enforcement officials to aggressively identify, track and monitor the activities of all known racist and white nationalist individuals and groups so that they do not continue to terrorize and harm our communities with their hateful and dangerous actions.”
