Charlottesville

What’s the issue? This past weekend, Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and KKK members marched on Charlottesville, Virginia under the banner of the “alt-right” to protest Charlottesville’s removal of a statue of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. Counter-protesters also showed up, and there were clashes between the two sides. After the initial rally was broken up by the police, a car crashed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and wounding 19. In Trump’s first remarks on the issue, he condemned the “hatred, bigotry, and violence. On many sides.”

Why I care: It should be obvious that we can make no room in our society for the vile and racists views of those who incited the march in Charlottesville. As much as they may try to hide behind the banner of the alt-right and the rallying cry of “we’re not racists, we just want to preserve our culture,” they must be exposed and marginalized for the white supremacists that they are.

This is not the first time that Neo-Nazis and white supremacists have gathered in large numbers in the United States. However, in the past their gatherings have been widely condemned by those in political power. This time is different because of the uncomfortable closeness of Trump and these white supremacist supporters. During his campaign, Trump was reluctant to denounce David Duke, a former leader of the KKK who was present at the Charlottesville rally. In fact, Duke’s said of Saturday’s rally, “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back.” More recently, Trump’s administration decided to remove white supremacists from a government program designed to counter violent extremism and to focus on Muslim organizations instead. These actions have further emboldened white supremacists since Trump’s election.

In any light, Trump’s false equivalency between the white supremacist marchers and counter-protesters is absurd. There is no moral equivalency between Nazis and those who stand up to them. Additionally, no counter-protesters drove a car into a crowd of white supremacists. However, seen along with Trump’s history of emboldening white supremacist organizations, his failure to call them out and strongly condemn them after their actions in Charlottesville is an implicit endorsement. This fact is not lost on the white supremacists themselves. The Daily Stormer, a white supremacist website, said of Trump’s statement after the Charlottesville violence, “He didn’t attack us. Refused to answer a question about White Nationalists supporting him. No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him.” This is obviously toxic and dangerous.

Much has already been written about this incident, and so I won’t belabor my explanation. Suffice to say, if you are as outraged as I am, then it is time to act. So I’ll spend the remainder of this blog detailing what we can all do to stand in solidarity with Charlottesville’s counter-protesters and work to stamp out the normalization of racism and white supremacy.

What you can do if you care too:

1. Donate. Donating is not the only thing we can/should do, but it can help. Here are some good places to donate that are working to fight racism and white supremacy:
   • SOLIDARITYCVILLE (a community defense network of Charlottesville activists acting in solidarity with communities of color locally and globally to fight all forms of white supremacy)
   • Southern Poverty Law Center (The SPLC is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality)
   • NAACP Charlottesville Chapter (The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination)
2. Show up. Stand in solidarity against white supremacy and with the counter-protesters of Charlottesville. There are many events happening across the country this week. Find one near you here. You may also want to attend the March for Racial Justice on September 30th in Washington DC as well as the March to End White Supremacy on December 2nd.
3. Educate children. Are you a teacher or do you have children in your life? There are many resources available to help talk to children about racism and what happened in Charlottesville. Including these lesson plans and guides from Teaching Tolerance. Here are resources for teaching about the Holocaust from the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
4. Educate yourself. Are you a white American? Check out the many articles on this list to broaden your prospective of racism in the United States, and the responsibility that white people in particular have to end it.
5. Speak up. Condemn racism whenever you hear or see it, in all of its forms. You can use this guide for bystanders (from Australia) to get started and this one from Teaching Tolerance for some ideas on what to do or say in specific situations.

Cover image from wikimedia.