Where We Stand Three Years After the Unite the Right Rally
On August 11 and 12 of 2017, white supremacists and Neo-Nazis stormed the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia in an effort to promote the spread of their racist thoughts.
Three years later, as a country and as a planet, where are we now?
Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden recently tweeted about the anniversary of the historic and traumatic Unite the Right rally that took place in Virginia. This statement made me think back to the event and made me pause and reflect on how we as a country have grown since then.
Three years ago today, white supremacists descended on Charlottesville with torches in hand and hate in their hearts. Our president said they were “very fine people.”
It was clear then, and it’s clear now: We are in a battle for the soul of our nation, and we must win.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 12, 2020
Three years ago, a grand monument of Robert E. Lee, promoter of racism in Revolutionary America, stood proud in the center of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee sat astride his horse, charging into battle. Until just recently, a statue of Edward Colston, an infamous slave trader, stood tall in Bristol, England, representing a part of history that in today’s world, we are trying to move past.
In 2020, three years after the Unite the Right rally, US citizens are finally making some noise and striving towards equality for all.
The statue of Colston was removed just a few months ago and replaced with a monument of Jeni Reid, one of the protestors in the Black Lives Matter movement. In doing so, the city of Bristol is trying to forward the message that the time to fight racism has come once again, and we will not stop until we defeat it.
Following the death of George Floyd, as well as countless other innocent African-Americans, people marched through the streets shouting for the protection of all citizens. We, as a country, are coming together despite the global pandemic to fight for what is right for all.
In addition to all of this, the United States government has also made efforts to end racism by making lynching a federal crime punishable by law. This is known as the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which passed on February 26, 2020. After 102 years of debate regarding this bill, it has finally happened and the United States government is now able to punish those who harm people due to racially-based prejudice.
After attending a Black Lives Matter rally myself, I can say that I was not only enlightened about how to continue to combat racism, but I also became hopeful for a future in which we are all equal, no matter what the color of our skin is.
