Raziya Hill, the Founding Executive Director of Every Bottom Covered and a graduate of the Open Buffalo Emerging Leaders program and Justice Leadership Institute, addresses the media.
Two Years Later – Progress and Priorities for Racial Justice
Published May 13, 2024
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Max Anderson
Deputy Director, Open Buffalo
Max@openbuffalo.org
716-218-9075
Two Years After the 5/14 Attack, Open Buffalo Marks Racial Justice Achievements and Current Priorities at Press Conference
BUFFALO, NY — On Monday, May 13, alongside a host of community partners and allies, Open Buffalo, a racial justice nonprofit located one block away from the Jefferson Avenue Tops market, hosted a press conference to mark two years of intensified anti-racism work since that store became the target of a vicious act of anti-Black terrorism. We revealed points of progress, present-day priorities, and an outlook for the future of racial justice in Buffalo and Western New York. We discussed new strategic partnerships, investment in a new generation of community leaders, and initiatives to directly address and interrupt systemic racism in various aspects of community life.
“The ingredients of the Tops domestic terrorism attack were simmering for years before they boiled over just a block from here on May 14, 2022,” said Franchelle Parker, Executive Director of Open Buffalo. “Despite all the good work and investments committed to this immediate community in the aftermath of 5/14, the underlying issues that fed into this attack remain. In some respects, they have worsened.”
Two years later, Open Buffalo remains steadfast on the frontlines of an ongoing anti-racism struggle in Buffalo. In addition to our existing policy advocacy and leadership development work, since the Tops Massacre, Open Buffalo has intensified our anti-racism training and assessment program, called “Race, Power, and Privilege” (RPP).
To date, Open Buffalo has trained 1,500 Western New Yorkers to be anti-racism ambassadors in their personal and professional lives. Institutions that have gone through the intensive RPP process include:
- Try-It Distributing
- WNY Library Resources Council
- Beyond Support Network
- Care Management Coalition
- The Parent Network
- EPIC
- Mental Health Advocates of WNY
- Center for Self Advocacy
- Community Services 4 Every1
- Mt. Mercy Academy
- Summit Center
- Nonprofit Consultants with the Western NY Foundation
- Guardians of Equity in the Buffalo Public Schools
- Zeta Youth Auxiliary
- Clean Mobility Buffalo
- John R. Oishei Foundation
- Niagara Falls High School
One of Open Buffalo’s key client-partners in our RPP work is Community Services for Every1, an agency that partners with individuals of all abilities to reach their fullest potential, protecting their rights and promoting their independence and inclusion in our community. More than a dozen Community Services workers attended Monday’s press event.
Mindy Cervoni, President and CEO of Community Services for Every1, delivered the following statement:
“Community Services for Every1 serves 2,200 people in this community and employs 1,000. The majority of our employees are Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), helping people live successfully in the community. Seventy-four percent of our DSPs are people of color and 44% of them live on the East Side of Buffalo. Our work with Open Buffalo has already transformed our organization, but it’s only the beginning.
Open Buffalo’s RPP training provided critical education on the health and housing crisis here on the East Side of Buffalo, from years of neglect and systematic racism. Learning data and true stories about the negative impact on a society without privilege was life-changing for many on our team.
Once our organization learned and truly acknowledge the reality, employees began speaking out and sharing stories of being denied opportunities such as a job or a mortgage. This prompted a real excitement about how we can change internally and what resources our organization can bring to help promote change and uplift this community. There is a lot to be done and we are very fortunate to work with Open Buffalo to guide us down a path to enact change and make a difference.”
Raziya Hill, Founding Executive Director of Every Bottom Covered, attended today’s press conference as well. Every Bottom Covered is a diaper bank serving low-income and underserved communities across Western New York. Hill, who is also an alumna of Open Buffalo’s Emerging Leaders and Justice Leadership Institute programs, collaborated directly with Open Buffalo in the wake of the Tops attack by providing resources that enabled our organization to run a popular diaper club. The diaper club, offered out of our Jefferson Avenue headquarters through the end of 2022, provided free diapers, baby wipes, feminine products, baby food, and more to a community desperately in need of such resources.
Hill shared the following remarks today:
“As a nonprofit leader, we were called into action after the horrific racist massacre at Tops. As a Black woman, I had to grieve and serve. There’s so much work to be done after acknowledging that we are in the throes of a community marred by systemic racism, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Thankfully, we’ll continue in the good fight collectively and create a generational shift.”
Those interested in learning more about Open Buffalo’s “Race, Power, and Privilege” program can visit https://openbuffalo.org/leadership-development/type:rpp/.
Today’s speakers included:
- Franchelle Parker, Founding Executive Director of Open Buffalo
- Mindy Cervoni, President and CEO of Community Services or Every1, and an organizational partner engaged in Open Buffalo’s “Race, Power, and Privilege” training and assessment program
- Raziya Hill, Founding Executive Director of Every Bottom Covered, and an alumna of Open Buffalo’s “Emerging Leaders” Program
- Marc Hennig, Deputy Executive Director of the Beyond Support Network, and an organizational partner that has completed Open Buffalo's "Race, Power, and Privilege" training and assessment program
- Jillian Hanesworth, the City of Buffalo’s First Poet Laureate and an alumna of Open Buffalo’s “Emerging Leaders” Program
- Dr. Kush K. Bhardwaj, Director of Racial Equity and Justice at Open Buffalo
About Open Buffalo
Founded in 2014, Open Buffalo’s mission is to advance racial, economic, and ecological justice. We do so through skill building, network connecting, and activating leadership opportunities. Our goal is for all communities in Western New York to thrive free from discrimination and poverty.
For media inquiries, contact Max Anderson at max@openbuffalo.org or 716-218-9075.
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