On Charlottesville and Our Path Forward

Washington, DC—Following is a statement from Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project:

“We are sickened by what happened in Charlottesville on Saturday; shocked by the deliberate murder and maiming of women and men peacefully protesting racism, bigotry, and hatred; and alarmed that a large band of white supremacists could march through the UVA campus and streets of Charlottesville carrying torches and weapons, unabashedly spewing an ideology that is vile and evil—and that should have no place in our country.

“And frankly, we are appalled that in the highest office in the land, there was an unconscionable delay—revealing an unwillingness—to explicitly repudiate the white supremacist movement by name, and without reservation or equivocation. This is a profoundly troubling moment in America.

“We all must resolve to stand up and defend our country against this cancerous ideology. While complacency may not be the same as the original sin of racism, its effects are often indistinguishable. If we really believe in freedom and equality and aspire to bring about change, then we must be agents of that change. There is no other way.

“What happened on Saturday is heartbreaking, but it also deepens our commitment to fighting racism and achieving the highest ideals of this free and democratic nation. We stand with all good people of conscience who share this commitment to bending that long arc of the moral universe toward justice and equality for all.”

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