On Saturday, May 14th, acts of violence and racism resulted in the murder of 10 people and injury of 3 individuals at a Buffalo, NY supermarket. In what was a racially motivated attack by a white supremacist, 11 of the individuals who were shot were Black. The victims’ names were:
Roberta A. Drury of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 32
Margus D. Morrison of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 52
Andre Mackneil of Auburn, N.Y. – age 53
Aaron Salter of Lockport, N.Y. – age 55
Geraldine Talley of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 62
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Celestine Chaney of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 65
Heyward Patterson of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 67
Katherine Massey of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 72
Pearl Young of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 77
Ruth Whitfield of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 86
The Dorm stands in grief with the families of the victims and all members of the Black community who, once again, face the trauma, terror and lived reality of racial violence in this country. We are horrified, condemn this attack and all acts of racism, racial terrorism, white supremacy, hate crimes and gun violence. It is our responsibility as a mental health industry and particularly the responsibility of every white person to speak out against discrimination of any kind and to take action to promote a society where people can live without fear. As long as systemic racism and trauma exists, mental health and wellbeing suffers.
To our Dorm community members, we encourage you to speak with your clinical team about anything you are feeling and how we can support you. To our staff and team members, we stand with you – please let us know how we can support you further. As an organization, we remain committed to the work of being an ally, to take action to promote anti-racism, hold ourselves accountable and, most importantly, to take action.
