United Women in Faith Mourns 10 People Slain by Racially Motivated Violence in Buffalo

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK, May 16, 2022 – United Women in Faith, a leading Christian women’s organization, today issued the following statement in response to the Saturday, May 14, shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket. The racially motivated shooting killed 10 people and wounded three more, the vast majority Black. The organization released the following statement:

“My heart breaks at the news of the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York,” said Harriett Jane Olson, CEO of United Women in Faith. “I pray fervently for the families of the murdered and for all those wracked by grief and fear this weekend: May you feel God’s love, strength and comfort surround you in this time of mourning.

“We recognize the shooting in Buffalo as the most recent incident in a series of White supremacist mass murders. Like its counterparts in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, El Paso, and Charleston—to name but a few of the many communities impacted—this was a racially motivated act of violence. We name the simple truth today: White supremacist ideology is a poison to our country and anathema to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We condemn the evil of White supremacist ideology in all its forms— from the overt to the subtle. Amid national mourning and grief, yet again, we recommit ourselves to ongoing work for racial justice.”

“We are praying for God’s healing of our nation from the historic poison of racism. We commit anew to the justice work required for this healing,” said Emily Jones, executive for racial justice for United Women in Faith.

Contact: Yvette Moore, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, ymoore@uwfaith.org