BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — They say it's their harsh reality.
"I actually live around the corner from the Tops that it happened at," said Zariah Scott, student at Buffalo State College. "So for me it affected me in a way where I wasn't sure if I should leave the house and go to school."
"I'm a target," said Abubakr Jallow, junior at Olmsted High School. "I'm a young 17 year old black boy that's going to be a target anywhere I go."
These just two of many stories of racial encounters and fear shared by the students, college staff and organization representatives who made up the panel at Villa Maria College. Each of them there to discuss how to create a more inclusive, responsible and anti-racist society. Many of which say should start with education.
"My fifth grade teacher," said Emmanuel Wright, student at Medaille University. "He was the first person to kind of introduce it to me, but it wasn't part of the curriculum.
However, Wright said he doesn't think that should be the case.
Dr. Matthew Giordano, President of Villa Maria College said a voice like Wright's is what needs to be heard. Along with student opinions and ideas.
"It's called listen, learn, act," said Giordano. "We cannot act without being really well informed by them and by everything that they are continuing to process and how they're responding to the event."
DennisJanee Brown, Student at Villa Maria College said she was at Tops during the time of the shooting. She said while her campus community has been supportive, she said there's more that can be done.
"When it comes to our schools and our colleges, we need to be trained more so in trauma counseling," said Brown. "We need people to facilitate that look like us, that are diverse and can understand."
Zeneta Everhart, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, NYS Senator Timothy Kennedy, 63rd District and Zaire's Mom said she is someone who can understand. Everhart's son was injured in the shooting.
"We have to talk about racism," said Everhart. "We have to talk about domestic terrorism and gun violence and all of these things because it's not just affecting a few, right?" It's not just affecting Zaire. Yes, Zaire was injured, he was seriously injured and just thinking about that right now it hurts, right? It really really hurts but we have to talk about it so that no one else is hurt."
Everhart said she'd like to see education reflect accurate depictions of history, all cultures and religions.
