This past weekend’s mass shooting targeting Black Americans at a grocery store in a Black neighborhood of Buffalo, NY marks the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this year and joins the growing list of tragic and hate-based mass shootings in recent years. For the families and friends of the 10 people who were shot and killed – parents, family members, a retired police officer, a devoted church parishioner – there is little we can do collectively to ease their suffering and loss, other than to bear witness to their pain and honor those killed.

But for all Americans, and especially Black Americans who have been targeted by racist violence in our country, we can and we must raise our collective voices to drown out the voices of hate. It is our moral responsibility that we are never silent in the face of hate.

Finally, we can and we must hold accountable those who purvey hate for profit and political gain. Those include elected officials like U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik, who has echoed replacement theory conspiracy theories in campaign ads, and far-right pundits like Fox New host Tucker Carlson, who has made millions of dollars bringing dangerous and dark fringe movements into the mainstream.

GLAD will continue to join in fighting hateful rhetoric and theories that do nothing but divide us as Americans and target people of color and historically marginalized communities.

Stopping the spread of white supremacist violence in our society will not bring this weekend’s victims back, but it can prevent future tragedies from occurring. Let us all take this opportunity to recommit to our shared responsibility to work toward justice and with it peace.

We grieve in solidarity and send our sincere condolences to the entire Buffalo, NY community.