I Spoke with Leaders in Buffalo…

This is what they wanted us to know.

Like many of you, I was left hurting and questioning how I could best support those in Buffalo, after a gunman stole the lives of 10 members of their community. Instead of making the decision on their behalf, I spoke with and listened to some of the leaders who have made it their life’s work to serve there — well before this tragedy occurred.

This is what they wanted us to know:

Tops was not just a grocery store. It was the village watering hole. Members of this community spent over 10 years fighting for it to even exist. Many people over the age of 30 actually remember the date they opened their doors.

…And it was often their “bank,” where checks were cashed, deposits were made and money was withdrawn. It was the place where 13,000 people went to manage their lives and handle responsibilities like paying their electric and heating bills.

After the tragedy, it took less than a week to open Jefferson St. back up, likely so as not to cause an inconvenience for people needing to drive through.

Less than a week.

I will no longer be calling spaces where healthy, affordable food is rare, “food deserts.” Deserts are natural occurrences. It is years of systemic racism that allowed this absence to manifest and fester. There is nothing natural about it at all. Food “apartheid” (a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race) is more appropriate.

No more fly-in, fly-out dropping food off of the back of trucks “like we are not human.” Our brothers, sisters and children need long term, community-driven structural investment.

And, at times, their counselors need counseling. Stop sending unqualified people from other parts of Buffalo (still, one of the most segregated cities in America) to come help “heal” this community. If they didn’t come to East Buffalo before, they certainly won’t understand now.

Further, we should expand they ways we think about what counseling truly means. Black people need more ways than sitting down with a counselor to heal. We sing. We raise our arms. We pray. We dance. We cry, and yes. We shout.

If you want to join me in supporting them, consider VOICE Buffalo. Love them, listen to them, invest in them…and trust them to know what they need.