Buffalo-Another example of the Hatred and the Ongoing Deadly Violence of Christian White American Racism.

​OneJax's post on Facebook.
It was a typical Saturday. The local supermarket was busy. A father buying his 3-year-old a birthday cake. An 88-year-old woman stopping by to pick up groceries after visiting her husband in a nursing home. The young mom and beloved teacher, 32, who went to the store to buy what she needed to make dinner. A gentleman who gave people rides to and from the store—even if they didn’t have much money. These and six other lives lost. Snuffed out in an instant. Three others were injured.
OneJax is horrified and heartbroken by the events in Buffalo this past weekend. The racially-motivated rampage by a subscriber to racial hate groups and replacement theorists, left the carnage in his wake.
What sense can be made of this madness? There is no simple answer. The whys and wherefores of acts like this will continue to be debated by minds far greater than ours. But it’s incumbent upon us all to be part of the conversations so that steps can be implemented in order to predict—and hopefully, prevent—future events from taking place to begin with.
For now, OneJax asks that we all treat each other gently, with care and kindness. This horror was perpetrated in Buffalo, but people all over the country are hurting, mourning and looking for answers. In our community, let’s answer the hate with love, outreach and inclusion. And take whatever steps necessary to assure that the country never has to pray for us.

My Response, also on Facebook.
DISAPPOINTED BUT NOT UNEXPECTED.
I am a recipient of the OneJax Silver Humanitarian Award. I was honored to receive the award (in 2017) and proud my oldest son, Rodney, was there to put the award around my neck.
However, for everything the award means to me, its impact is wearied for me, when I read the "milquetoast" statement by OneJax (below) in response to the vicious and deadly murders of Blacks by a young White supremacist Racist criminal in Buffalo, NY. He targeted Blacks in a Buffalo Supermarket killing 10, and wounding 3 persons.
In an excerpt from its Facebook post, OneJax writes:
"What sense can be made of this madness? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. The whys and wherefores of acts like this will continue to be debated by minds far greater than ours. But it's incumbent upon us all to be part of the conversations so that steps can be implemented in order to predict—and hopefully, prevent—future events from taking place to begin with.
For now, OneJax asks that we all treat each other gently, with care and kindness. This horror was perpetrated in Buffalo, but people all over the country are hurting, mourning and looking for answers. In our community, let's answer the hate with love, outreach and inclusion. And take whatever steps necessary to assure that the country never has to pray for us."
As a Black person and an ongoing target of Racism in these "As Yet" United States of America, I would have preferred OneJax, from my hometown, to say nothing, than to use such a compilation of meaningless words they posted on Facebook. "... we all (should) treat each other gently, with care and kindness," and, "Let's answer hate with love, outreach, and inclusion?" REALLY? We are talking racist murders.
"Let's take whatever steps to assure that the country never has to pray for us." Why not also add "thoughts and prayers," (a standard nothing response from many in White America when a tragedy occurs)?
Blacks, who were targeted in the Buffalo Racist massacre, died because many in White America support a Racist conspiratorial "replacement theory," which like the Racist mass murderer, spreads the filth, evil vulgarity, and the deadly violence of racism, while others in White America do nothing; they died because many in White America support the pathology and the sinister symbolism of the number "14" while others in White America do nothing; and they died because of the many racists and Racist schemes which have a daily homecoming and thrives in America's racist underbelly, and still White Americans say and do nothing.
Let's call "racism" and "White supremacy" what they are, "racism" and "White supremacy."
Let's deal with the Racism which radicalized a 18-year-old cascading from a racist TV network and the racism which "flows" regularly from racist White elected officials at ALL levels.
Let's deal with the deafening silence from the White Christian Community where the words "brotherhood" and "sisterhood" seemingly have no place today.
Next, let's deal with the passage of legislation by White Elected officials designed to appeal and pander to only a White Racist constituency base.
Finally, let's deal with the dishonesty that also cascades from the mouths of White Racist elected officials at ALL levels designed NOT to address hatred and exclusion but to appeal instead to hatred and inclusion, Whites only.
As a Black man, I have dealt with Racism for as long as I have understood Racism. Many Whites do not like to talk about racism because it makes them uncomfortable. They are awkwardly uncomfortable hearing words about racism birthed from America original sin of White supremacy.
How painful would White folks be if they were the targets of Racism daily?
As a Black man, I am a target of racism daily. And I will continue to be a target of racism daily when Whites, Christian Whites at that, who would and could say something in opposition to Racism do not say anything, or the words they choose to use are measured to the extent they are meaningless. I can only fight Racism. I do every day. Whites can change Racism. They do not every day.
But if I have to continue to fight with little or no help from White America, then that is what I will continue to do. Doing nothing is not an option for me.
I will not fight racism with White allies who wallow in Passivity and milquetoast words. That insidiousness will not get it.
To say I am disappointed in OneJax's words only scrapes the surface. Yet in Jacksonville, OneJax is not alone. Several Jacksonville organizations in the "diversity and inclusion business" would cower in fear if they had to use terms other than the convenient "diversity and inclusion."
But this is Jacksonville, and I am accustomed to getting the same thing from Jacksonville's White Christian community all of my life when dealing meaningfully and substantively with Racism. That same thing is – NOTHING-Not One Thing. So please, don't take my word for it. Jacksonville's History speaks for itself.

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