On Saturday, in an act of domestic terror, a white man traveled to a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, and gunned down 11 Black and two white people, killing ten.
Below is a statement by Johanna Chao Kreilick, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“The violent racial hatred that was unleashed by a white man on Black shoppers—killing ten and wounding three others—is devastating, and more so because it is not surprising. This is anti-Black terrorism. To deny that reality is deeply harmful to the families who lost loved ones in Buffalo, and the thousands of other Black families who have lost loved ones in racially motivated killings.
“Politicians, public figures and pundits like Tucker Carlson and others on Fox News whose nightly critiques of teaching history that include factual accounts of racism, promotion of racist theories like ‘the great replacement,’ and glorification of murderers like Kyle Rittenhouse are responsible for fanning the flames of racial hatred. There is a direct line between this calculated propaganda and the increase in racial terror in the United States.
“We must acknowledge we live in a deeply racist country and accept the responsibility that comes with it. There should be consequences for those who spew hatred in the name of political power, ratings and profit. We need to hold companies that continue to sponsor these voices accountable, and they should refuse to support these voices, and Congress should act to prioritize rooting out domestic terrorism from white supremacists and other violent extremists.
“We must heed the call to call these murders what they are: Anti-Black domestic terrorists.”