Showing posts with label Buffalo New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo New York. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2022

New York Announces Plan to Erect Permanent Memorial to Buffalo Massacre Victims

Planning is about to get underway for a memorial to honor the victims of Buffalo's supermarket shooting -- a white supremacist terror attack that claimed 10 lives at a Tops Friendly Market in May.

On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul joined Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown to announce the formation of the May 14th Memorial Commission.

"The May 14th Memorial Commission will create a lasting reminder of the losses we experienced that awful day. While we combat racism in all forms and work towards a future where hatred and bigotry are a thing of the past, the Commission, led by Reverend Mark Blue and supported by partners like Mayor Brown, will have a leading role in uplifting the East Buffalo community," Hochul said.

The commission will oversee and develop the plan to build a physical memorial in East Buffalo.

The memorial would honor the victims of the May 14 shooting: Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackniel, Aaron Salter Jr., Geraldine Talley, Katherine Massey, Roberta A. Drury, Heyward Patterson, and Celestine Chaney.

[SOURCE: NBC NEWS]

Thursday, June 30, 2022

African American Veterans Monument Receives $50,000 Donation

The soon-to-be-constructed African American Veterans Monument, located at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, has received a $50,000 donation from the Carl & Carol Montante Charitable Fund. The donation will be used for the long-term maintenance of the monument and surrounding property and continues the Montante Family’s long-standing philanthropic commitment to the communities of Western New York.

“It has been an exciting year for the African American Veterans Monument,” highlighted Warren K. Galloway, chairman of the Monument Committee. “Earlier this year, we successfully reached our funding needs for construction. This donation from the Montante Family ensures the long-term sustainability of the monument as a symbol of unity in our city.”

The monument will bring awareness and honors the contributions made by African American Veterans. African American’s have served in all five branches and have fought in all 12 of the United States’ military conflicts since the country’s first war. The monument will honor those who have served and are currently serving in all five branches of the military both in war and peace times, whether they enlisted voluntarily or were drafted. The monument will consist of twelve black 10-foot concrete pillars, representing each of America’s armed conflicts, and will be the first of its kind in the nation.

“This monument is important for the City of Buffalo in so many ways,” noted Madeline O. Scott, who sits on the board for the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. “For years the US military was segregated. As someone who personally had several family members from New York, Michigan and Ohio who fought in American wars, this monument brings not only awareness to the contributions of African Americans but highlights that all American’s provided the same service and sacrifice for our country. The monument is intended to be a unifier.”

“We are proud to support this noble monument that honors the service of African American Veterans and will be a source of civic pride that will be appreciated on the Buffalo waterfront for generations to come,” noted Michael J. Montante, CEO of Uniland. “It will be an honorable addition to Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, a place of reverence and appreciation for the U.S. Armed Services and a renowned cultural treasure as the largest inland naval park in America.”

Work on the monument is underway and the completed project is scheduled to be unveiled September 24, 2022. Additional information on the monument can be found at www.aavmwny.org or by calling 716-800-1137.

The Montante Family are the founders of Uniland Development Company, Buffalo’s largest and most reputable commercial real estate developer. Founded in 1974, Uniland owns and manages over 300 buildings serving more than 400 clients across Western New York. The Carl & Carol Montante Charitable Fund is a family philanthropic initiative with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Saturday, May 14, 2022

NAACP statement on racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo NY

A gunman wearing military gear opened fire with a rifle at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what authorities called “racially motived violent extremism,” killing 10 people and wounding three others Saturday before he was arrested.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson released the following statement on the racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo New York:

This is absolutely devastating. Our hearts are with the community and all who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy. Hate and racism have no place in America. We are shattered, extremely angered and praying for the victims' families and loved ones, as well as the entire community."

Sunday, July 08, 2018

African-American veterans monument in Buffalo will be first in U.S.

Buffalo is expected to receive national attention soon, for the construction of a monument that will be the first of its kind in the country.

Karen Stanley Fleming, the board chair of the Michigan Street African American Corridor, says that this monument will be "an incredible addition to Buffalo's interpretation of African-American history."

State officials announced this morning at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park that the state will provide $800,000 toward the construction of the African-American veterans monument there. The monument will be the first and only in the U.S., to honor black soldiers that fought in every American war to date.

New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, who announced the grant along with state Sen. Chris Jacobs, R-Buffalo, said organizers hope to raise $1 million more by Veterans Day toward the construction of the 12-pillar structure.

"The purpose here is just to honor veterans," Peoples-Stokes said.

The monument will be an interactive, timeline walk of every American conflict in which black soldiers fought, between the Revolutionary War and the War in Afghanistan. Visitors will be able to observe the 12 10-foot tall and 3-feet wide pillars that represent each conflict, along with educational kiosks that will detail African-American involvement in each war.

Historian Madeline Scott said that the idea for creating the monument started when she and the Erie County Chapter of The Links Inc. began collecting names of deceased and living African-American veterans in 2016.

"The purpose [of the monument] is to recognize the hardships [black people] went through from the beginning," said Scott, "because history doesn't tell you about that until 1863."

The project has an anticipated budget of $1.4 million, which includes upkeep and management costs, according to monument committee chairman Warren Galloway. The committee hopes to implement technology within the monument that will work through a smartphone app, to allow visitors to explore the monument all while having the information at their fingertips. To raise additional money, the committee is selling commemorative bricks that will be laid on the ground surface of the monument.

"With these bricks," said Galloway, "you can walk and see the impact African-Americans have had in this whole area."

Galloway says that the Buffalo monument committee has been working with Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and a host of U.S. senators to get the future monument nationally recognized. He says that although the monument is meant to honor veterans, it can be used as a teaching tool, which he believes will increase the chances of it becoming a national landmark.

"We're honoring our veterans but this is also educational," said Galloway, "so we want to attract educational money."

Organizers announced they expect to break ground on Veterans Day and have the ribbon-cutting some time around the Fourth of July in 2019.

The unveiling of the monument is expected to gain national attention and serve as what Fleming says is "a good starting place to learn about African-American history."

[SOURCE: THE BUFFALO NEWS]