As Metro Housing prepares as an organization to recognize our second Juneteenth celebration commemorating the news of the end of slavery reaching Texas, we are confronted with another type of news – a mass shooting that impacted 13 lives, and resulted in the deaths of ten innocent people, targeted for the sole reason that they were Black.
Gun violence – and mass shootings – is a scourge of 21st century America. But, when mass shootings occur with the express purpose of ending the lives of people of another race, our society has clearly taken a terrible and dark turn.
Our diverse participants, staff members and Board members of all races, hailing from different backgrounds, need to know that we recognize that our organizational mission – to leverage resources to help families and individuals move along the housing stability continuum toward economic security – cannot be achieved if any portion of our community fears for their lives when simply going to a grocery store, school, or house of worship.
Metro Housing is committed to combatting hatred and racism. There is no space and zero tolerance at this organization for racism, hate, and intolerance of differences. As we have said in the past, racism in our country will continue to be a problem until we acknowledge the impact that our society’s past has had on its present. We stand with Buffalo and condemn this hateful act of terror. Our strength is in the way we strive to support each other, celebrate our differences, and value each other.