The Structures of White Supremacy Empowered Racist Violence in Charlottesville

August 16, 2017

UUSC decries both the white supremacist violence that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend and the everyday structures of racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and homophobia in the United States that enable extremist violence.

The neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, and “alt-right” groups that converged on Charlottesville this weekend cannot be treated as simply fringe and isolated elements. They are a particularly extreme manifestation of the much deeper sickness of white supremacism in our society, where the legacy of slavery and discriminatory policies has led to extreme racial inequalities today in education, employment, incarceration, and wealth.

Likewise, as we celebrate the Unitarian Universalist (UU) values that call us to resist hatred and bigotry, we recognize the complicity and contradictions in our country, within UU history, and our own lives. Our partners at the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (ARC) remind us: “Until we acknowledge and understand the history of White Supremacy…we will not be able to dismantle effectively structural oppression or to address the root causes of hate and violence in this country.”

While controversy following the events in Charlottesville has centered on the President’s disturbing response to the violence, we must not forget the even more direct role he continues to play in empowering the forces of the extreme right. Leaders at all levels should unequivocally denounce these actions, and we must all work to reverse course on policies that criminalize and stigmatize communities of color. This includes the promotion of anti-immigration legislation that reads like a white nationalist wish list

We mourn the death and loss of life that occurred this past weekend. We also recognize that structures of supremacy are inherently violent, and they are killing and harming people every day in ways that don’t receive equal public attention. We are inspired by the example of people of faith and conscience, including many Unitarian Universalists, who went to Charlottesville this weekend to counter the violence of hate with a message of love. “They showed us that the light of hope and love burns brighter than hate. It is imperative that we keep this flame alive even in these dark times,” says UUSC President and CEO Tom Andrews.

As we process our personal and organizational response to the weekend events, we are creating space to meet with one another as a staff to share our grief, reflect on the systems of racism that exist, and plan our response. We continue to support the individuals and groups that are targeted by the neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, and “alt-right” movement. May our grief for the past and present move us to work harder for the future as it ought to be. As the great labor organizer Mary Harris “Mother” Jones once bid us: “pray for the dead—and fight like hell for the living.”