Beyond Solidarity with Charlottesville

Originally Published: Aug 16, 2017

During a historic moment full of alarms, we were delivered a wake up call on Saturday, August 12. White Supremacists of every kind- Neo-Nazis, Fascists, Klan members and the so called “alt-right”- violently marched on the southern city of Charlottesville, VA to defend the statue of a man who fought to maintain the institution of human slavery in the United States. The intent of the “Unite the Right” rally was to instill terror in the hearts of people of color, Jewish people, LGBTQ people, immigrants and women who dared step outside of their gender roles.

Like many, recent events in Charlottesville left us outraged and saddened. The response to those events, however have left us inspired and even more resolute than before.

We are outraged by the sheer amount of support the discredited ideas of white supremacy, classism and patriarchy continues to galvanize in 2017. Event organizers raised money and drew participation from students and employees of universities, employees of big and small corporations and surely some government officials.

We are outraged at a mainstream media that finances (through employment contracts), features, and provides platform for white supremacists and misogynists, so long as the presentation of their ideas strategically conceal overt racism and sexism with a thin cloth of respectability. We are outraged when those same media outlets feign shock the commentators on their payroll say something overtly racist or sexist.

We are outraged, but not surprised, by the tepid response of police and government officials to the mob of white supremacists sporting torches descending upon their town. We are outraged, but not surprised, by the tacit approval of overtly white supremacist ideology, policy and terror emanating from the White House and one of the two major political parties in this country. We are outraged, but not surprised, at the deafening silence coming from the “good” white community.

We are saddened that some of our freedom fighters were injured and terrorized while standing up against hate. We are devastated by the loss of 32 year old Heather Heyer, a woman murdered while protesting fascism.

The “Unite the Right” rally was not just a call to arms for racism, but also for misogyny. Those advocating racial hierarchies also demand strict adherence to oppressive gender roles. As such, those who fight for the oppression of Blacks, immigrants and Jews are the same ones fighting for the oppression of women, gays, lesbians and transgender people. The fight against white supremacy is also the fight against patriarchy.

Consequently, we are saddened that in the face racist, classist, xenophobic and sexist rhetoric and policy proposals, a majority of white women voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election. White women were also active, albeit in smaller numbers, in the white supremacist rally. We are deeply saddened that we are compelled, in 2017, to fight against these backwards and discredited ideas. However, while the rally in Charlottesville left us outraged and saddened, the resistance to the rally leave us inspired and resolute.

We are inspired by the many- women, men, queer, straight, Black, Latino, white, Native, Asian, young and old- who stood up to resist white supremacy and patriarchy. We are inspired by the bravery and dedication of our freedom fighters in opposing oppression wherever it surfaces, even when that opposition placed them in physical danger. We are inspired by the recognition of intersectionality, where whites stood in defense of Blacks, men stood in defense of women, straight stood in defense of queer and residents stood in defense of immigrants.

This inspiring resistance serves to deepen our resolve. We again resolve to oppose white supremacy, classism and patriarchy wherever they emerge. More importantly, we resolve to organize towards egalitarianism and power for marginalized communities.

In the context of the white supremacy and toxic masculinity of Charlottesville, we must all resolve to shift our organizing to center the experiences of those most oppressed: low-income women of color, particularly queer women, trans women, women with disability, indigenous women. Ending the oppression of women, femmes, girls and marginalized communities can only happen by shifting power to this very group.

Therefore, we resolve to envision and forge a better world by shifting power from patriarchal white supremacists into the hands of everyday women, femmes and girls of color.

#FemmeAgenda.

In solidarity,

Marcia Olivo, Executive Director