Part III: How the Buffalo Mass Murder Creates Collective Trauma in the Black Community

By Payton Hogan

PAYTON HOGAN, M.S., IS A LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST AND CONSULTANT RAISED IN NORTH OMAHA.

“It’s hard to foresee a future of change and reformation when we are unapologetically being crucified at the hands of people whose minds have been programmed to exterminate and castrate the soul of Black America.”

— Myron Pierce, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and pastor of Mission Church, Omaha

On May 14, 2022, an 18-year-old domestic terrorist named Payton Gendron claimed the lives of 10 mostly elderly, innocent Black civilians and injured three other people at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. The victims’ names are Roberta A. Drury, 32, Margus D. Morrison, 52, Andre Mackneil, 53, Aaron Salter, 55, Geraldine Tally, 62, Celestine Chaney, 65, Heyward Patterson, 67, Katherine Massey, 72, Pearl Young, 77, and Ruth Whitfield, 86.

Zaire Goodman, 20, Jennifer Warrington, 50, and Christopher Braden, 55, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Eleven of the victims are Black. Warrington and Braden are white.

Unexpected death at the hands of a white person is a dark reality in the Black community across the nation, experience after experience, generation to generation. In recent years, Dylann Roof murdered nine parishioners during a prayer group in their church. Off-duty police officer Amber Guyger shot Botham Jean in his own apartment because she mistakenly opened his door thinking it was her own. Michael Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson after he ran away unarmed and barefoot from an altercation with the officer. The 2020 death of George Floyd after police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes while detaining him for passing a counterfeit $20 bill led to protests across the United States and it seemed for a moment that a racial reckoning might come as a result of those protests.

But, then Buffalo happens and we are reminded that the threat of death is ever present and can occur in our church, home or the supermarket, by our fellow citizens or the police.

Pastor Myron Pierce said a message is continually being sent to members of the Black community that, “You are not wanted and you are not safe.” If a white man with a .45 Glock pistol who just recently murdered nine individuals in a church can be taken into custody with no issue like Dylann Roof, and be given Burger King to satisfy his hunger, there is no reason why a Black man like Eric Garner, who is unarmed and reportedly loitering outside a convenience store selling loose cigarettes, should not return home to his family unharmed by police officers.

Every time one of these senseless deaths occurs, Black America experiences collective trauma. The term collective trauma gained some traction during the COVID-19 pandemic to explain a group experience of drastic physical and psychological shifts. Yet, Black people have been experiencing collective trauma for generations.

Collective Trauma

“Psychological reactions to a traumatic event that affect an entire society; it does not merely reflect an historical fact— the recollection of a terrible event that happened to a group of people. It suggests that the tragedy is represented in the collective memory of the group, and like all forms of memory it comprises not only a reproduction of the events, but also an ongoing reconstruction of the trauma in an attempt to make sense of it. Collective memory of trauma is different from individual memory because collective memory persists beyond the lives of the direct survivors of the events, and is remembered by group members that may be far removed from the traumatic events in time and space.”
Source: National Institute of Health

The acts of terrorism against Black Americans have gone unacknowledged and undertreated since the beginning of our forced relocation to the Americas. From slavery to Jim Crow, to civil rights, to riots, to killings of Black leaders, these traumas are not only experienced by the families and the victims, but by the community as a whole. When Black people are targeted whether through systemic measures or acts of domestic terrorism, each and every one of us can see ourselves, our mother, our father, our grandmother, our grandfather, our brother, our sister, our son, and our daughter in the place of the victim.

Collective trauma is one of the causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This disorder is underdiagnosed in the Black community. Symptoms of PTSD can be mistaken for behavior and mood disorders, however when individuals begin to understand the amount of collective trauma and generational trauma experienced in the Black community, it becomes much easier to understand and justify a diagnosis of PTSD. Some of the indicators that may be misinterpreted by many clinicians and law enforcement include:

Distressing thoughts
Physical signs of stress
Feeling tense, on guard, or on edge
Feeling irritable, or having angry and aggressive outbursts
Engaging in risky, dangerous, or destructive behavior
Negative thoughts about one's self or the world
Difficulties experiencing positive emotions such as happiness

On an individual level, psychotherapy with counselors who relate to you, look like you, and understand your experience, can mitigate the effects of PTSD.

On a social level, when environments are created that show Black people are valued, when Black youth are not seen as a delinquent, but as kids who from birth were given the burden of a trauma they did not ask for, when our lives matter to the police just as much as Dylann Roof’s, then the effects of collective trauma can begin to heal.

From the National Institute of Health (NIH):

Mental health conditions can be treated. If you or someone you know needs help, talk with your health care provider. For tips for getting the most out of the visit, see NIMH's Taking Control of Your Mental Health: Tips for Talking with Your Health Care Provider. If you are unsure where to go for help, visit NIMH’s Help for Mental Illnesses webpage.

Health Hotlines

Disaster Distress Hotline: This helpline, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides immediate counseling for people affected by any disaster or tragedy. Call 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained professional from the closest crisis counseling center within the network.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The Lifeline provides 24-hour, toll-free, and confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area. Support is available in English and Spanish and via live chat.
Veterans Crisis Line: This helpline is a free, confidential resource for Veterans of all ages and circumstances. Call 1-800-273-8255, press "1"; text 838255; or chat online to connect with 24/7 support.
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 for free and confidential support 24 hours a day throughout the U.S.

Join a Study

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.

Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. We have new and better treatment options today because of what clinical trials uncovered years ago. Be part of tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.

To learn more or find a study, visit:

NIMH’s Clinical Trials webpage: Information about participating in clinical trials
Clinicaltrials.gov: Current Studies on Coping with Trauma: List of clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) being conducted across the country