The 5/14 Buffalo Massacre Community Memory Coalition Confronting White Supremacy

Strategic Framework (2024–2026)

About the Initiative

The May 14th Community Collecting Initiative is a joint effort of survivors, family members, cultural institutions, historians, and community members working to create a trusted, enduring record of the 2022 white supremacist massacre at Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, NY. Our coalition is committed to honoring the victims and survivors, while fostering a culture of remembrance, resilience, and reckoning. Coalition Partners Include: Buffalo African American Museum, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, The Buffalo History Museum, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Canisius University, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, The Garman Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State, Uncrowned Queens Institute, family members, survivors, and community leaders. 

Mission

To partner with survivors and the impacted community to preserve an authentic record of May 14, 2022, to confront systemic racism, and to inspire resilience and social change.

Vision 

An understanding of the systemic racism that led to the 5/14 Massacre. 

• A community-centered, intentional and authentic record that honors the lives lost and impacted to serve as a tool for reflection, reckoning, and transformation. 

• An inclusive, ethical model for collecting and shared stewardship in partnership with individuals and organizations to preserve memory and advance racial justice. Core Values 

Core Values 

• Integrity - We commit to authenticity, truth, accuracy, and transparency. 

• Community - We center those most impacted, and seek to engage those who may not see themselves as affected. 

• Equity - We confront white supremacy and the systemic racism that led to the 5/14 Massacre. 

• Collaboration - We believe in working together as a coalition, shared stewardship, building trust, and engaging the community. 

• Responsibility - We understand the sensitivity and gravity of this work and its implications for future generations.

Strategic Focus 

1. Memory & Stewardship 

• Develop an inclusive, ethical model to create an authentic record of the 5/14 Massacre and to advance racial justice. 

• Use this model to develop a long-term, sustainable, and shared stewardship approach to preserving materials, stories, and memories related to 5/14 Massacre. 

• Create and implement processes to guide the collection’s care, preservation, use, and presentation. 

2. Community Engagement 

• Create shared ownership of the initiative. 

• Build trust and deepen relationships with community members, organizations, and institutions. 

• Engage those who may not see themselves reflected in the work. 

• Foster broader awareness, connection, and responsibility.

3. Awareness 

• Support exhibitions, public programs, and curriculums that contextualize the 5/14 Massacre within systems of racism and resistance movements against white supremacy. 

• Develop resources that are trauma-informed, community-driven, and encourage shared understanding and responsibility. 

• Engage young people in learning and storytelling to carry the work forward generationally. 

• Foster an understanding of white supremacy and racial inequity. 

• Inspire action necessary to dismantle systemic racism.

4. Sustainability & Accountability 

• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and evaluation tools to ensure the Coalition’s progress. 

• Secure multi-year funding to support current and future operations and activities. 

• Continue consensus decision-making protocols and develop transparent and accessible reporting practices

As of 5/2025 Partners

Coalition Partners Include: 

Buffalo African American Museum, 
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, 
The Buffalo History Museum, 
Burchfield Penney Art Center, 
Canisius University, 
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, 
Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, 
The Garman Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State, 
Uncrowned Queens Institute, and 
family members, survivors, and community leaders.

Statement of Purpose

In a joint effort from a coalition of professionals, survivors, and the community impacted by the May 14, 2022 Massacre, we are collecting, documenting, and preserving an intentional and authentic record of the horrific event that occurred. We come together to create an inclusive model for shared stewardship to benefit current and future generations. This work is a process of discovery to encourage awareness of systemic racism and inspire actions to dismantle it.*

We are collecting, documenting and preserving an intentional and authentic record of the horrific event that occurred. This collection work will include, but is not limited to, oral history recordings and the preservation of mementos that will create a repository of collective memory.

This collection work will include, but is not limited to:

• preservation of memorials left at the Tops Market site
• oral history recordings
• objects of personal significance to each victim that speak to their lived experience
• clippings (news)
• journals
• photographs
• reflections
• various forms of media  

• ---

Our work honors the 5/14 victims, their families, and the community.

Thirteen people were shot, ten fatally. A horrific day that continues to ripple through Western New York.  Today we honor… 
Aaron Salter Jr., 
Celestine Chaney, 
Roberta A. Drury, 
Andre Mackneil, 
Katherine Massey, 
Margus D. Morrison, 
Heyward Patterson, 
Geraldine Talley, 
Ruth Whitfield, 
and Pearl Young.

In addition to the 10 people killed, 
Zaire Goodman, 
Jennifer Warrington, and 
Christopher Braden were injured in the shooting.

Sampling of media coverage:

“5/14 Buffalo Massacre Community Memory Coalition creating community archive,” 7 News WKBW, YouTube, June 28, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycsIyRWO2uU

“Full conference on 5/14 Blue Flag Initiative in Buffalo”, 

WIVB-TV, YouTube, May 14, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hbBXhVc5J8

“Dedication ceremony for the Tops 5/14 Honor Space in remembrance of the victims of the mass shooting,” 7 News WKBW, YouTube, May 14, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaX9YBaEWog

“‘This work is our love’: New space unveiled to honor 5/14 victims,” 7 News WKBW, YouTube, May 14, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3YssDBIXmk

“5/14 Two years later,” WGRZ-TV, YouTube, May 14, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUvGkis-WU0

“5/14 One Year Later: The Buffalo History Museum,” WIVB-TV, YouTube, May 18, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHX53F7LspQ

“5/14: One Year Later” topic landing page, The Buffalo News, May 15, 2023, https://buffalonews.com/news/local/collection_6046368e-f122-11ed-aa88-379f0164e846.html

Honoring And Remembering The Victims Of 5/14 Racist Attack” featuring performance of “We Remember” by Buffalo’s 1st poet laureate Jillian Hanesworth, Buffalo Sabres, YouTube, May 14, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndv7BbCfmY

“Buffalo Remembers 5/14 Hope & Healing”, WGRZ-TV, YouTube, May 12, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANuw-QsFxfY

“‘5/14 Remembrance Weekend’ to honor lives lost and impacted by Tops mass shooting,” 7 News WKBW, YouTube, May 9, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlMxglpGGHw

Revathi Janaswamy, “May 14 Community Collecting Initiative planned to preserve, collect material left at Jefferson Avenue Tops,” Spectrum News 1 Buffalo, October 10, 2022, https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/news/2022/10/10/may-14-community-collecting-initiative-planned-to-preserve--collect-material-left-at-jefferson-avenue-tops

Artemis Moshtaghian, Emma Tucker, Shimon Prokupecz, and Samantha Beech, “10 people killed in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, police say. The 18-year-old suspect is in custody,” CNN, May 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/14/us/buffalo-ny-supermarket-multiple-shooting

“5/14 Honor Space Unveiled A Place of Remembrance And Healing,” Challenger Community News, May 16, 2024, https://www.buffchallnews.com/news/local/5-14-honor-space-unveiled-a-place-of-remembrance-and-healing/article_d27bd4a0-13dd-11ef-8875-cfcf933a6d2b.html 

“Over 1,000 People Participated in the 5/14 Memorial Survey,” Buffalo Criterion, January 13, 2024, https://www.thebuffalocriterion.com/local-news-1/over-1000-people-participated-in-the-514-memorial-survey

Upcoming: 

ABOUT

Collecting stories: Oral History
The Oral History Project will collect the stories of survivors and family members of the attack, residents of the East Side of Buffalo, first responders, and others affected by this event in their own words. In cooperation with mindful interviewers, the Project will create a community-driven audio collection, ensuring that those who share their stories feel safe, empowered, and cared for throughout the experience. This project seeks to honor the memory of those lost on May 14th, while also making space for stories to be told about the larger, systemic issues.
 

How are we documenting?
Interviews will be captured as audio recordings, with the possibility of including video recordings, accompanying images, text, and other context-providing objects.
 

This multi-faceted project will allow for stories to be shared in a variety of ways. Some interviews will be conducted in a more traditional one-on-one format, but we will also train people to conduct interviews themselves. The project’s goal is to ensure that those who gather and share their stories feel safe, empowered, and cared for throughout the experience. To that end, we have developed informed consent forms allowing for the person being interviewed to retain power and agency over what happens to their story.

What happens with the oral histories?
Once an interview is recorded, interviews will be processed (in accordance with digital collections best practices). The edit and review process will be done with input from the person being interviewed, who will give final approval before the interview is made available to the public.
 

A list of all available interviews will be created and added over time. Depending on the wishes of the interviewee, some interviews will be available online while others may only be available on-site in the Library. Those available online will be uploaded to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Digital Collections platform.

Collecting objects: Tangible memories
Objects are tangible connections to those who have been lost or taken from us. We honor them through preservation of these pieces connected to them, whether of something special to those we loved, memorials left in their honor, or photographic documentation of lives lived.
 
In the fall of 2022, all memorial items left at the site of the racist massacre were collected by the Buffalo Peace Makers and taken to be preserved at the Buffalo History Museum. That work of collecting and caring for items related to this tragedy has continued ever since. The History Museum also welcomes donations to develop the collection further.

What objects are we collecting?
The Coalition will preserve and care for many items, mementos, and objects, including:
1. Objects of personal significance of each victim that speaks to their life experience.
2. Newspaper clippings and articles
3. Journals
4. Photographs
5. Reflections
6. Various forms of media
7. Funeral programs or other ephemera
 

Some of this collection will be determined by what community members want to donate, but other aspects, such as newspaper articles, are being actively collected by Coalition organizations’. The majority of these items will be cared for at the Buffalo History Museum, though some papers and photographs could be donated to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, if desired.

Coalition organizations:

Buffalo African American Museum

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL)

Buffalo History Museum

Canisius University

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House

The Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State University

Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor

Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research & Education on Women, Inc.,

Media Releases - Past programs

Past program:  June 27, 2024

5/14 Buffalo Massacre    Community memory Coalition  Confronting white supremacy
Join the 5/14 Buffalo Massacre Community Memory Coalition  for updates about the Memorial Collecting Initiative and the 5/14 Oral History Project.  

You and your stories can help create a community archive for future generations to understand this racist travesty and how systemic white supremacy has shaped Buffalo beyond 5/14/2022.

Thursday, June 27 at 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Branch Library

1324 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo   

October 16, 2023 - 

Contact: Joy Testa Cinquino, Library testaj@buffalolib.org  716-858-7182

Update: May 14th Community Collecting Initiative Local Coalition to Collect, Document, and Preserve an Authentic Record of the May 14, 2022 Targeted Mass Shooting

Buffalo, NY – October 16, 2023 – One hundred years from now, how will the Buffalo 5/14 Massacre be remembered? How do we ensure a record of the event and the generational impacts of racism before this tragedy? How do we create a collection with integrity, accuracy, and trusted historical documentation?

The May 14th Community Collecting Initiative is setting out to create a historical record so that future generations have a deeper understanding of this tragedy.

WHO ARE WE?

In a joint effort from a coalition of professionals, survivors, and the community impacted by the May 14, 2022 massacre, we are collecting, documenting, and preserving an intentional and authentic record of the horrific event that occurred. We come together to create an inclusive model for shared stewardship to benefit current and future generations. This work is a process of discovery to encourage awareness of systemic racism and inspire actions to dismantle it.

As of this release, our coalition includes Buffalo African American Museum, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, The Buffalo History Museum, Burchfield Penney Arts Center, Canisius University, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, The Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State University, Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research & Education on Women, Inc., victims’ family members, survivors, and broader community members. We welcome the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund’s support of the May 14th Community Collecting Initiative as a resource in their mission to develop a long-term, community-informed plan to accelerate the revitalization of East Buffalo by addressing economic and racial inequities.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

We are collecting, documenting and preserving an intentional and authentic record of the horrific event that occurred. This collection work will include, but is not limited to, oral history recordings and the preservation of mementos that will create a repository of collective memory. WHY ARE

WE DOING THIS?

Creating this historical record will demonstrate to current and future generations a true account of the tragedy that took the lives of ten innocent people, wounded three others, and forever changed the history of our city. This record is intended to recognize the complexity of historical interpretations, encourage critical thinking, healing, and reflection, and to honor the shooting victims.

“In the aftermath of 5/14, we have an opportunity to tell the full story of that horrific event, but to also give it context and to use it as the impetus to mitigate and or eliminate the disparities that made our community vulnerable and a target long before 5/14,” said committee member Garnell Whitfield, son of May 14 victim Ruth Whitfield. “Through this process of discovery and the honest discussion of these issues, we honor our loved ones and are creating the change that their sacrifice demands.”

The May 14th Buffalo Massacre Community Memory Coalition Confronting White Supremacy will continue providing updates. 

Coalition contacts:

Object collection and care:

Michelle Harris, 
Senior Director of Collections at the Buffalo History Museum, 
mharris@buffalohistory.org or 716-873-9644 ext. 402

Oral History:

Susan Buttaccio, Special Collections Manager of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, 
buttaccios@buffalolib.org or 716-858-7144

Communications:

Joy Testa-Cinquino, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, 
testaj@buffalolib.org  or 716-858-7182

Learn more and get involved:  716-858-7144