I moved here when I was eight. As a teenager and young adult, I found a family in the R&B music community here. Buffalo is filled with amazing people. It's the city of good neighbors. Now it is #BuffaloStrong.
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| With volunteers and Mayor Byron Brown at the Johnnie B. Wiley Pavilion |
Oscar Alston, bass player with Rick James' Original Stone City Band, posted this three days after the tragedy at Tops:
The man standing next to Zachary and me at the memorial site in front of Tops said, "I knew that girl." He went on to describe her heart-filled smile and cheerful personality. The weight of the loss for families is hard to imagine. You will find tears here, but you will also find enduring strength. There is comfort in friendship, and people who genuinely care for each other. Children play and adults smile as they look on. It seems unusual and inappropriate to post pictures of smiling faces so soon after this horrific event, yet laughter can be heard among friends. Even strangers introduce themselves and make friendly jokes at the food distribution sites. Stories are exchanged. Sometimes just a silent glance and nod is understood.
There is a need for commitment. We must not allow our resolve (to create change) to fade as the world continues to relentlessly turn. White supremacy has no place in our society. It needs to be called out, stood up to and stopped. Diversity is our strength. We are on this earth as brothers and sisters.
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| Packing and distributing food bags |
There are so many battles to fight. There is so much pain and fear in our midst. We have to be the Love that heals it. Start and don't ever stop. The cameras will turn and the spotlight will fade. The work must not.
Click here for the "Buffalo 5-14 Survivors Fund"
Click here for "Standing Indivisible Against White Supremacy" from indivisible.org
With Love,
T
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