The American Humanist Association (AHA) is deeply saddened and outraged by the deadly shooting at a Buffalo, New York supermarket this past weekend. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the victims and the residents of Buffalo. The United States Department of Justice is rightly investigating the shooting in Buffalo as a racially motivated hate crime and domestic terrorism.

“Mass shootings motivated by anti-Black racism, xenophobia, and conspiracy theories that pit community members against one another have been mainstreamed by far right-wing movements,” comments Nadya Dutchin, Executive Director of the AHA. “The events in Buffalo this past weekend are further evidence of the outcomes of a long-term political strategy, supported by the religious right, designed to foment racial anxiety, fear, and incite violence. Now, more than ever, humanist values of inclusion, mutuality, and free-thinking are necessary interventions.”  

As long as the myths of white supremacy are allowed to flourish within our institutions, people of color will be vulnerable to violence. It is our moral and ethical mandate to deeply interrogate how we can foster communities free of all forms of violence. The AHA also condemns the shootings in Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and California this past weekend, following a horrifying trend of violence across the nation. AHA is committed to building a world where all people are included and safe.