August 3, 2021
A Statement from Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC)
Today marks the second anniversary of the horrific shooting in El Paso, Texas that took the life of twenty three people, and injured twenty three more at a Walmart. The National Hispanic Media Coalition commemorates this anniversary with a call for healing, justice, and prevention.
It is no secret that the El Paso Massacre was an act of hate, white supremacy, and racism. The domestic terrorist who opened fire in a Walmart posted his manifesto online explicitly reasoning his rampage on stopping the “Hispanic invasion”. As NHMC said firmly at our virtual event, A Brighter Tomorrow: Remembering Victims of the El Paso Massacre and Addressing Disinformation Through Social Media, we must hold social media companies accountable for the hate and violence that flourishes on their platforms, and manifests into harm in our communities. The El Paso Massacre weighs heavily in our minds as a reminder that online hate has real world consequences. We have so much work to do, to protect our communities and honor the memories of those we have lost to hateful acts of violence.
We must end the dehumanization of Latinx in this country, and demand that we be given the safety and dignity we deserve both on and offline. As an organization on this solemn day, we commit to continuing the fight against organized hate and white supremacy. It is my hope that you, as a reader, can join us.
Yours in the Movement,
Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
