Addressing the Tragedy in Buffalo

May 16, 2022

Dear Bay Path Community,

While this past weekend was joyous for many across our country, as families, like at Bay Path, celebrated the accomplishments of graduates, it was also a weekend marked yet again by violence.

Five communities across our nation in just a three-day period were assaulted by gun violence. The most horrific of these was the mass shooting in Buffalo, causing us to ask the question: Why again?

It was an ordinary day in the City of Buffalo. Saturday meant people were out and about doing their weekly shopping, errands, and attending children’s activities. And then, in a short period of time, members of their community joined a casualty list of innocent victims that has become all too familiar to us.

Saturday’s attack in Buffalo, as with others we witness with staggering frequency, was motivated by hate, violence, and racism. And, like many of the tragedies driven by white supremacist ideology, members of our Black community are impacted disproportionately. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Feeling safe, included, and respected are human rights that must be guaranteed for all individuals. This is why our work as a Bay Path community to educate ourselves, practice allyship, cultivate empathy, and choose love and healing over fear and oppression is paramount. In further demonstration of this, I urge you to attend the Tuesday, May 17 DEI training with Calvin Terrell.

Please know you are supported. If you are feeling hurt and angry about these latest tragedies. I encourage you to seek guidance and support through Bay Path’s counseling resources available for students through our counseling center and for staff and faculty at EAP.

In closing, let us collectively exercise kindness, dignity, and respect in all we do.

Sincerely,

Sandra J. Doran, J.D.
President