In this episode of the Buffalo Extreme podcast series, host Nakaya McCann takes listeners inside her community to explore the aftermath of a mass shooting that occurred at a grocery store in a predominantly black neighborhood. The series follows the girls at a nearby cheer gym and their moms and coaches, highlighting the importance of the gym in their lives and the impact of the shooting on their sense of safety and confidence. McCann, who grew up in the cheer gym, tells the story from inside her community, exploring the challenges faced by the girls and their coaches, including dealing with racism and discrimination in the cheer world. The episode delves into the emotions and struggles of the girls and their families as they try to cope with the shooting and its aftermath. However, the episode ends on a hopeful note, with the anticipation of the grand opening of a new gym for the cheer team, symbolizing a fresh start and a sense of hope for the future.

If you're a kid and a terrible thing happens, what do you do to feel safe? If you're an adult, how do you offer guidance to the kids when you can't even make sense of what's happened—and when it's your job to act as a shield to the children? Those are some of the questions that animate Buffalo Extreme, a new series from NPR's Embedded. Buffalo Extreme follows a group of Black cheerleaders, their coaches and their mothers in the year after a racist mass shooting at a supermarket just three blocks away from their gym. Several former Invisibilia staff worked on this documentary series, and we're bringing you the first of three episodes. You can listen to the rest of the series in NPR's Embedded podcast.