In the wake of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the youth have come together in solidarity to oppose fascism and racism. Students from the Dartmouth College Class of 2021 penned a letter to the University of Virginia.
“We have unified as an incoming class, and we refuse to be silent,” said incoming Dartmouth freshmen. “We firmly believe that no person, regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation, should ever feel for their safety.”
Their statement comes after members of the alt-right gathered on the UVA campus to prevent the removal of Confederate statues and attacked protesters. Violence from a purposeful hit-and-run led to the death of Heather Heyer, a 32- year old paralegal, and the injuries of 19 other counter-protesters. Two Virginia State police troopers also died in a helicopter crash while patrolling the two protests.
Students from other top schools such as Columbia University and Cornell University have joined the letter. They were featured in the following video Dartmouth freshman Carlos Polanco recently posted on Facebook.
The message provides optimism and relief to the UVA students, especially those who stood in the center of the rally. The below tweet shows students protesting torch-equipped white nationalists around the Thomas Jefferson statue.
https://twitter.com/SophiaArmen/status/896219890108948482
Rachna Shah and Luiza Odhiambo, two co-writers of the Dartmouth letter have made their own statements on the matter. Odhiambo said, “hate has no place in campus,” in a Facebook post last Saturday. Shah was “shocked and appalled” by the violence displayed. “One often notices a startling gap between the America that we envision and the America that we want to be,” Shah wrote in an e-mail.
Shah is also the Communications Director of Bridge the Divide, an organization designed to connect teens from across the political spectrum. Bridge the Divide put out a statement addressing Charlottesville on Saturday. “The divide between left and right has furthered isolation, hate, and animosity,” the statement reads, “Yet in times of great tragedies such as these, it is important to remember that we do share underlying moral and cultural values.”
UVA students and faculty later organized a vigil at the campus on Wednesday night. The thousands of attendants had a moment of silence for those killed during the “Unite the Right” rally. According to CNN, the crowd sang parts of “We Shall Overcome”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and several hymns.
The vigil gave reassurance to incoming UVA freshmen like Yasmeen Refai. “I don’t doubt my decision to go there,” Refai said, “You just need to be aware of your surroundings, and keep yourself and friends and students all safe, and pray for the best.”
