Dear VICPP supporter,
Saturday was a sad day for the state and the nation. Hatred and violence appeared to rule the day. White supremacists marched around the city with helmets, shields, and armed to the teeth. They deployed chemical agents, engaged in street fighting, assaulted clergy members engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience, and drove a car at high speed through a crowd of anti-racist activists, killing one and injuring many others. It felt like I was in a war zone. (See notes and images on VICPP’s Facebook page.)
A few reflections and next steps:
Racism. We know that Virginia and the nation has not really grappled with its racist history and imbedded systemic racism, but our original sin was especially clear in Charlottesville. Young white men yelled racist epitaphs, marched around the night before carrying torches resembling KKK rallies and Nazi marches, carried Confederate flags and displayed Nazi symbols. Evil and scary stuff.
Economic opportunity. Our economy is not serving the common good. If everyone (people of color, women and young white men) all had access to good paying jobs, perhaps fewer people would be drawn to hate groups. Fears of scarcity are a significant factor in recruitment.
Showing love. The faith community in Charlottesville was amazing – organizing prayers services, opening congregations as safe spaces, providing medical services to people and offering food and water.
Leadership. The hateful rhetoric of some of our leaders has emboldened the fringe far right-wing groups. The Virginia General Assembly should lead the way in welcoming and including all, enabling love to overcome hate.
Today, I ask you to:
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Pray for Charlottesville and our nation. Pray especially for those killed and injured.
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Participate in healing services and opportunities to learn more about how racism has hurt us all. VICPP will keep you informed of opportunities in Virginia as we hear of them.
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Call upon the General Assembly to welcome all in Virginia. Please CLICK HERE and sign the petition to the General Assembly urging Virginia’s leaders to track hate crimes, publicly welcome all and for a task force to address the crisis of racism and exclusion in Virginia.
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Invite your congregants, neighbors, friends and family to learn more about people who are different from them and choose #LoveOverFear, embracing the commands of our sacred texts.
Please share this with friends and colleagues in Virginia.
With peace and justice,
Kim Bobo, VICPP Executive Director, @vainterfaith
P.S. Thank you to the many religious leaders who bore witness in Charlottesville yesterday including my colleague Lana Heath de Martinez, two board members, Rev. John Copenhaver and Aisha Huerta, former staff and board members Marco Grimaldo and Melanie Mullen, and more than 60 religious and community leaders who showed up because we helped get the word out about the planned religious activities.
P.P. S. Please support our Welcoming All initiative to make Virginia a more welcoming place by clicking HERE or HERE.
You can click on the link in the letter above or below to send this appeal to your delegate and senator:
Dear Virginia General Assembly Senators and Delegates,
The hatred and violence we saw in Charlottesville demand leadership from the General Assembly to stop the hate and create a Commonwealth that welcomes and provides opportunity for all. I join the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in calling upon the General Assembly to:
- Pass bills to track hate crimes and publicly welcome all. Bills were proposed last year to track hate crimes and welcome all to Virginia, but were defeated or not even considered.
- Establish a task force to propose how Virginia can create an environment that welcomes and offers opportunity to all (people of color, Muslims, immigrants, women, LGBT and poor white men).
PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK TO SIGN THIS PETITION:
https://virginiainterfaithcenter.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/petition/sign?sid=11&reset=1
