Neo Nazis, Alt-Right, and White Supremacists at the riot that took place in Charlottesville, VA, on Thursday 8/11/17.
Some of you may already know this, but I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page. Last night in Charlottesville, Virginia, there was a large and violent white supremacist, neo-nazi, “alt-right” riot called “Unite the Right.” The participants were chanting things like “blood and soil” “you will not replace us” “anti-white” and “white lives matter” while carrying torches and doing the Nazi salute. The video below shows people chanting, fighting and throwing torches.
If you think that hateful events like this have nothing to do with Donald Trump, then you are delusional. And if you chose to stop reading this post right there, then you are part of the problem. Here is a GREAT article (that was actually written last year) that proves that white supremacists feel emboldened with Trump in the White House. It also follows the timeline of what he has done to embolden these people/groups and give them platforms.
If the article isn’t enough, here’s a video of David Duke, former Imperial Wizard (leader) of the KKK, from this morning talking about how the rally last night “fulfills the promises of Donald Trump.”
I am almost never the type to say “it’s 2017, this shouldn’t still be happening,” because as a black woman, I know that racism and bigotry are still VERY much alive even in 2017. The day that people who think we’re “past” racism envision when they think of racism were not long ago at all. However, I am saying now that we cannot, in this day and age, allow this type of white supremacist activity to gain momentum. I unfortunately have a feeling this riot was only the beginning, and bigger events will take place (especially since there was hardly any police presence at this violent riot, which says a lot about how whiteness is protected even at its worst... but we’ll save that for another post) if:
1) Trump is not removed from office.
2) If everyone doesn’t take the necessary action to keep this country from reverting back to the days of Jim Crow.
Trump supporters who claim not to be racist, who claim to be all for “equality,” who say “I don’t agree with everything he says, but...” what YOU can do to combat things like this are:
1) Stop supporting him. Like literally it’s as easy as thinking “you know what... I actually don’t like this guy.”
2) Educate yourself about why his rhetoric, policies, and ways of operating are not only un-presidential but also dangerous.
3) Take action. Educate others, use your voice. If you have the resources, then organize meetings or give speeches or whatever you need to do to combat this (Trump and these kinds of events).
Democrats and liberals whose favorite slogans is “love trumps hate,” you already got the first step down, but it’s time to be about that action. Just typing out “love trumps hate” on Facebook does absolutely nothing. If you really want to see a change, follow steps 2 and 3 from the above paragraph.
Being “on the fence” or “down the middle” or whatever idiom for inaction is popular at the moment is helping people like the participants of this rally. Doing nothing is doing something. This country needs to make a radical shift in action and ideology if we are to continue the progress that has been made thus far. Everyone talks about one day having a better world for their kids and grandkids to live in, but everyone needs to be willing to do something to make that world a reality.
