By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The victims of the racist massacre at a Buffalo, New York supermarket have been identified and their ages range from 32 to 86.
Avowed white racist Payton Gendron allegedly put together a 180-page manifesto that revealed his hatred for Black and Jewish people and the “replacement theory” ideology that Fox News often speaks of, notably hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.
Additionally, several Republican politicians have spouted the racist “theory,” saying that Democrats’ immigration policies would “replace” GOP voters with individuals of color.
New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Ohio GOP hopeful JD Vance recently have been outspoken in supporting “replacement theory.”
Stefanik used the concept in her 2021 campaign ads saying, “radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a permanent election insurrection.”
Vance, a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate, recently ratcheted up the rhetoric.
“You’re talking about a shift in the democratic makeup of this country that would mean we never win, meaning Republicans would never win a national election in this country ever again,” he claimed at a campaign event last month.
Vance’s defeated opponent, Josh Mandel, also ran on “replacement theory.”
“This is about changing the face of America, figuratively and literally,” Mandel stated in a published interview.
“They are trying to change our culture, change our demographics and change our electorate. This is all about power,” he said.
So far, the only Republican politician of note to call out the racist rhetoric is Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
“The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism,” Cheney wrote on Twitter. “History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.”
Meanwhile, among the victims in the Buffalo shooting was a former police officer, and 11 of the 13 killed or injured were Black.
The names of the ten who died were:
Celestine Chaney, 65
Roberta Drury, 32
Andre Mackneil, 53
Katherine Massey, 72
Margus Morrison, 52
Heyward Patterson, 67
Aaron Salter, 55
Geraldine Talley, 62
Ruth Whitfield, 86
Pearl Young, 77
