St. Bonaventure University

In the two years since Mark Talley’s mother, Geraldine Talley, was among the 10 people killed by a white supremacist at a Buffalo grocery store, he has fought grief and anger and dedicated himself to pursuing socioeconomic justice and eradicating systemic racism.

Talley will share his personal journey during an Oct. 30 presentation, “Resiliency in the Face of Adversity: Promoting Socioeconomic Justice,” at St. Bonaventure University. The program begins at 7 p.m. in Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building and is open to the public. It will be livestreamed at https://video.ibm.com/channel/st-bonaventure-university-live-stream.

The program is part of the university’s DEI Lecture Series.

“I’m so grateful that my students have the opportunity to interact with and learn from Mr. Talley. He’s a fierce advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” said Dr. Alex R Gillham, associate professor of Philosophy at St. Bonaventure and organizer of the lecture series. “I consider Mark an exemplar, and I hope his visit will inspire those in our community to follow his lead in the fight for social justice.”

Geraldine Talley and nine other shoppers were killed May 14, 2022, while shopping at Tops Friendly Markets on Buffalo’s East Side. Eleven of the 13 people shot that day were Black.

Since Talley’s mother’s death, he has established the nonprofit Agents For Advocacy and written a book, “5/14 – The Day the Devil Came to Buffalo.”

Agents For Advocacy’s goal is to empower individuals, educate communities, and advocate for policies that address social and economic inequalities. The organization has sponsored a number of events to tackle socioeconomic issues, such as providing free food and clothing to those in need, and educating communities on health, financial literacy and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. It frequently collaborates with other Buffalo businesses and agencies to engage the community.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).