Statement from Chancellor King and SUNY Board of Trustees on May 14 Remembrance
May 14, 2023
“One year ago today, our attention was drawn to a vibrant and beloved neighborhood for a terrible reason. All eyes were fixed upon the city of Buffalo’s East Side following the tragic, racist shooting of 10 people who had simply gone grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon. The shooting was a targeted act of hatred that traumatized this historically Black community, and the nation. The killer specifically traveled for hours to a Black neighborhood grocery store to carry out his murderous plan.
“In their grief, that same community, along with neighbors in the city of Buffalo and from across New York State, banded together to support each other. In the wake of that tragedy, we reaffirmed our resolve to fight racism, promote equity, and create a more resilient community.
“Today, we remember the victims—Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackniel, Aaron Salter Jr., Geraldine Talley, Katherine Massey, Roberta A. Drury, Heyward Patterson, and Celestine Chaney. Our hearts are with their loved ones.
“Through adversity and loss, comes strength; the strength needed to combat hate and build together a better community centered around a common human connection.”
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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