The “Unite the Right: March on Charlottesville” rally on August 12, 2017 is slated to draw hundreds of members of white supremacist and white nationalist groups to Charlottesville, Virginia. These racists will spew hate speech and a number of them may also be brandishing firearms in an attempt to intimidate those who oppose them.
We invite allies of Black Lives Matter to once again #DefendCville and to say #NoNewKKK for an entire weekend of action (August 11th-13th, 2017) that will reject the hate flowing into our town. We invite you to choose to believe in the fight for justice and the solidarity of community. We invite you to take part and together face this consolidation of hate groups, and the risk of police use of excessive force, with nonviolent direct action.
America will be watching.
Be a part of history.
The “Unite the Right” rally is only the tip of the iceberg of white supremacy within this country. As a result, our plans are short- and long-term:
On August 12th:
- We will confront this group as we faced the Klan in July without fear or apology.
- We will demonstrate nonviolent direct action to combat hateful rhetoric.
- We will educate our community about these white supremacist organizations, beliefs, and their relationship with wider power structures before and after the rally .
On August 13th and beyond:
- We will continue to remind Charlottesville and the nation that Confederate monuments are beacons of hate, and their occupation in our city is a direct result of the frequent presence of white supremacists and white nationalists.
- We will continue the struggle against the continuing everyday effects of white supremacy by addressing the needs for affordable housing and a living wage, and by challenging oppressive law enforcement tactics which disproportionately target POCs, such as stop-and-frisk, militarized police units, and mass incarceration.
- We will continue to hold community events, such as our Real Talk on Race teaching panels, that promote discourse and strategies within our community for combating inequalities which result from white supremacy.
This is our chance.
The chance for our city and our nation to show that despite our racist past and present, we will not bow to white supremacist hate nor accept their hateful rhetoric.
August 12th presents us with an opportunity:
- To expose the systemic injustices of powerful institutions and structural racism.
- To challenge the rise of fascism and white nationalism, which is happening in our country before our very eyes.
- To expose and condemn the everyday aggression of the police in our cities, their attacks upon POCs, and lack of accountability to civilians whom they ostensibly serve and who finance their pay.
- To affirm and empower the members of our communities to believe that we can create change within our lifetime in our communities.
- To create and strengthen impactful connections with our townspeople.
- To align with, amplify the voices, and promote the liberation of people of color from physical, emotional, mental and political oppression.
We will continue to practice and promote a variety of actions including education, political organizing and action, disruption, protest and resistance to the vitriol that seeks to demean us as a people.
First and foremost, we persist for the preservation of life. We will come with the strengths of our principles, and the presence of our bodies, and our keen minds. We will not be deterred by fear. Our commitment is rooted in principles of a deep, unapologetic, abiding love for our community.
We persist to live another day.
We persist because our voice matters.
We persist because our very existence matters.
Black Lives Matter.
Always.
Please come and support us.
Starting now, through August 12th, and every day after.
