A Statement by Brenda V. Castillo, President & CEO, National Hispanic Media Coalition
Of the numerous
shootings across the nation this past weekend, one of the most egregious was the attack on Black grocery shoppers in
Buffalo, New York, by a white supremacist domestic terrorist radicalized online. For over a decade, NHMC has warned about the dangers of online hate, extremism, and disinformation targeting historically marginalized communities, such as Latinx, that has led to real-world violence. Congress must take action to protect communities of color from the racism, hatred, and extremism endangering our people.
The domestic terrorist responsible aimed to “
kill as many Blacks as possible,” with 11 of the 13 victims in the shooting being Black. This heinous act was motivated by the “
great replacement” theory, claiming that non-white immigrants are replacing white people. His racially motivated massacre is reminiscent of the attack on Latinx at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, the attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, the 2015 attack on Black churchgoers in Charleston, and so many others that reveal a historically flagrant attempt to eradicate communities of color from the United States of America.
Regrettably, this conspiracy theory has been
embraced by current GOP candidates for Congress, falsely claiming that immigrants and communities of color are destroying Western values and leading to the extinction of the white race. The U.S. government has orchestrated a “war on terror” since 9/11; however, it has consistently failed to address or include the increasing threat of white supremacy and domestic terrorism. These extremist views are widely shared on social media platforms and amplified through algorithms. The Buffalo terrorist even shared his manifesto before the attack, which he live-streamed on Twitch.
NHMC condemns all acts of domestic terror and urges Congress to take action to protect historically marginalized communities from domestic terrorism and conspiracy theories that are a threat to communities of color and our democracy.
Yours in the Movement,
Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
