BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Community leaders, survivors, advocates, and cultural organizations gathered Friday morning to continue conversations surrounding healing, racism, and long-term change four years after the Buffalo mass shooting.
The May 14th Community Memory Coalition hosted a community conversation at the Buffalo History Museum focused on preserving the stories of those impacted by the racist attack in 2022, while also addressing structural racism and inequities still affecting Buffalo’s East Side.
The coalition includes survivors, family members, historians, educators, cultural institutions, and community organizations working to create a lasting record of the massacre and its impact on the community.
Organizers say the initiative is about more than remembrance. They say the work also focuses on documenting lived experiences, collecting oral histories, preserving community artifacts, and creating educational opportunities centered on racial justice and healing.
“This was an attempt to bring many of the groups that were formed for the last four years to try and find some common ground and leverage our efforts working together,” said Garnell Whitfield, whose mother was killed in the shooting.
WATCH: Community leaders call for action and healing four years after the Buffalo mass shooting
Several speakers during Friday’s discussion emphasized that the conditions affecting Buffalo’s East Side existed long before the attack happened.
“May 14 was a horrific day, but the days before were bad,” said Ebony White, who lost her uncle in the shooting.
White also spoke about broader systemic issues still impacting many neighborhoods across Buffalo.
“Our zip codes are indices of what our life expectancy is. So few are able to escape that,” White said.
The coalition says part of its long-term mission includes helping communities better understand the systems tied to racial inequity while also creating resources for future generations.
Dorinda Darden, interim director of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, said the coalition has spent years preserving materials connected to the tragedy.
“We started collecting mementos after the massacre, and we have also been working to do oral histories,” Darden said.
Family members impacted by the attack say that while symbolic gestures and memorials remain important, they also want to see lasting change.
“I want action, I want change,” White said.
Whitfield said the trauma connected to May 14 continues every day for survivors and victims’ families.
“We live with the trauma and the loss every single day. We try to get up and try to do this work,” Whitfield said. “We need you to join us in this work every day.”
