Racists Look Emboldened. They’re Actually Terrified.
By Olivia Alperstein for Other Words - The act of terrorism that killed one person and injured others in Charlottesville, Virginia was horrific. There will be more days like these. Angry, cowardly, fear-mongering white supremacists have been emboldened by a president they see as the last great hope for the purity of the white race. They came for Charlottesville intent on hate and destruction. They were met instead with an outpouring of humanity from around the nation. We stand united against hatred and bigotry, and we stand on the right side of history. They are taking to the street with Tiki torches against the tide of equality. They want to strike fear into our hearts, but it is they who are afraid of a better world. I have bad news for these people, including the young man who intentionally plowed his vehicle into a crowd of innocent people. See, we’ve had dark moments in our history, when people were enslaved and dehumanized: Not to give away too much for those who aren’t familiar with our history, but the arc of the universe has bent towards justice. We’ve had the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Act, many marches on Washington. We’ve had boycotts, protests, rallies, and sit-ins. We’ve had Supreme Court cases and constitutional amendments. The symbols that white supremacists march with represent failed political movements like the Confederacy and Nazism.