Melissa Harris-Perry: It's time to look back at it and bring you some updates on the stories we've been following.

We focus our attention on two cities who are surviving through the aftermath of mass shootings. Last May, a violent white supremacist attacked the Tops grocery store in East Buffalo, New York. Armed with a legally obtained AR-15 style automatic rifle, the 19-year-old shooter killed 10 people and injured 3 others. The loss of so many to a racist massacre was nearly unbearable and the violence took something else from the community-- its only grocery store. Back in May, we spoke with Alison DeHoney of Buffalo Go Green.

Alison DeHoney: We are all very devastated. We're struggling to wrap our heads around what happened, but we're also working diligently. When I say we, those of us who have been working in the food space for food justice, for environmental justice, are also coming together to figure out how we move forward.

Melissa Harris-Perry: Alison reminded us of all that food is and represents.

Alison DeHoney: It's culture. It's comfort. It's safety. It's security. It is not true that Black and brown people do not want healthy food.

Melissa Harris-Perry: For Buffalo Go Green, the work of grieving and healing following the mass shooting has meant refusing to allow gun violence to literally starve this community. They've partnered with other community organizations to create long-term sustainable solutions to the nutrition apartheid in East Buffalo's predominantly Black community.

Alison DeHoney: The unfortunate event on May 14th fortunately has strengthened these partnerships. We continue to meet, we continue to coalesce to serve the community, and we continue to think about ways to improve our local food system.

Melissa Harris-Perry: Back in May, only days after the massacre in Buffalo, gun violence shattered the community of Uvalde, Texas. 19 children and 2 teachers were slaughtered at Robb Elementary School, and in Uvalde, the 18-year-old gunman also used a legally obtained AR-15 style automatic rifle. Back in May, we sat down with Professor Jonathan Metzl of Vanderbilt University.

Professor Jonathan Metzl: It really is a vicious cycle in so many ways for our country, and it's of course catastrophic for communities and families. This cycle is so catastrophic for our country and how we think about democracy and how we think about our ability to come together to solve problems that threaten shared humanity. It's all of those emotions at one time. I think it's understandable why people feel anger and fatigue and resignation and despair all at once.

Melissa Harris-Perry: The fatigue and despair were apparent this week when the parents of Uvalde victims held a press conference at the Texas State Legislature.

Uvalde Parent: This was our first Christmas that my husband and I did not sit with our children to open gifts. Instead, we were locked in our room crying.

Melissa Harris-Perry: Still, these shattered families refuse to remain locked away in their grief. They have organized to force accountability and to make change. We talked with Uriel Garcia, reporter for the Texas Tribune, who's been following the Uvalde families.

Uriel Garcia: Brett Cross is one of the parents of one of the children who died in the shooting. What he ended up doing in September was to stage a overnight protest for about a week outside of the school district administration. Basically, what he wanted to know was, who were some of the officers that the school district had hired post-shooting.

Melissa Harris-Perry: This week, Uvalde families joined State Senator Roland Gutierrez at the Texas Capitol in Austin as he introduced multiple measures. The families stood with Gutierrez wearing shirts or holding posters with photos of their slained loved ones, and they were not silent.

Uvalde Parent: I come here pleading to you to take clear notice of these common-sense gun laws we Americans and our children, our future, need in order to live in a carefree, peaceful life in the United States of America and stop living in the United States of the NRA.

Melissa Harris-Perry: This is The Takeaway.

Copyright © 2023 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.

New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.