Buffalo, NY
As Buffalo shooting victims testify in Congress, race and history circle us
When a white gunman killed 10 Black Americans in Buffalo, I was in a New York art gallery being warned. But 'great replacement theory' cannot stop our 'quest for equal rights and justice for all.'
![Tavares Strachan's exhibition at the Marian Goodman Gallery from May 6-June 11, 2022, opens with "Septimius Severus," a room titled after the African Roman emperor. It continues the artist’s ongoing project "Encyclopedia of Invisibility."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2022/06/01/USAT/a492dbcb-34ac-45b2-9ff5-ca22732bae09-Stratchan_Installation_21.jpg?width=980&height=753&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
![Portrait of Thuan Le Elston](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/23/USAT/74186292007-headshot.jpg?crop=2544,2544,x-1,y312&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
USA TODAY
On a Saturday afternoon in May, History stared at me in an art gallery in New York City.
We circled each other. His ferocious eyes warned me of news that I didn't know awaited me outside once I turned my phone back on. Her piercing eyes warned me she knew my secret shame.
My husband and I were looking for another art exhibit when we wandered into the Marian Goodman Gallery. Four people already were waiting for the free showing that was about to start at 2 p.m.
A showing of what? The guide was vague but assured us we wouldn't regret spending 40 minutes to go through "The Awakening" by Tavares Strachan.