“Pittsburgh: This Is Not Who We Are” by Annika Urban is an incredibly moving piece that would undoubtedly send chills through any reader. Urban explains the diversity that stands within her community, as well as the acceptance of that diversity. She explains that it had been cherished, it had been a building block of her life in Pittsburgh. Until October 27, that is. She states her anger and sympathy, and she wonders how her community will be looked at in the aftermath of the shooting. “Before, I knew they’d think of the city of Steelers, the city of bridges, the city of rivers, the city of black and gold, a city of steel turned clean. But now, do they think of a city of gun violence? A city of darkness? A city of anti-semitism? That is not who we are.”

First, to all suffering from this attack, I give my condolences. In July, I traveled to Pittsburgh for a baseball game, and just from the crowd and the streets I could tell that it is a special place. People of all races, ages and ethnicities bonded together in a way even I, as a New Yorker, was impressed by. Here in New York, mirroring the country, hate crimes are on the rise. Hate surrounds me when it used to fly over my head. Hate flows out like the pouring rain. These crimes are no longer questioned; they are expected. And the author is correct. This is not what we stand for. This is not who we are. This moving piece should be read by all. It is a lesson to be learned.