Politics & Policy

What happened in Durham

Like many people, a week ago I was feeling pretty down about the state of racial justice and just basic humanity in the United States. But then something happened. In response to the hate and violence displayed in Charlottesville, hundreds of Durhamites came together for a huge vigil on Sunday night. Many friends of mine posted pictures and powerful testimonials to the collective love they felt gathered together. But I also noticed that some activists had less satisfied responses, including frustration that the mostly-white event marginalized voices of color and those with more radical tactics. Much of that frustration fed into a Monday demonstration, which had already been planned to take place in front of Durham's old courthouse, where there was a confederate monument with an inscription to "the boys who wore gray."

MomsRising Statement on Charlottesville: “This is a fight for our children’s & our nation’s future. We will not back down.”

This weekend, we watch in horror as white supremacists and Nazis march through the streets of Charlottesville inciting violence that has caused the death of at least one peaceful anti-racism demonstrator. There’s no question that the election of Donald Trump has emboldened white supremacists, neo-...