U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement to mark this weekend’s one-year anniversary of the violent white supremacist marches in Charlottesville.
“A year ago, white supremacists and neo-Nazis from all over the country gathered in Charlottesville to spew hateful rhetoric and bigotry. The violence and chaos that erupted from the Unite the Right rally resulted in the murder of a peaceful protester and paralegal Heather Heyer, the tragic deaths of two Virginia State troopers I knew, Berke Bates and Jay Cullen, and injury to many peaceful protestors.
“Out of this horrible tragedy, we’ve seen a community that was able to come together to say this is not who we are. I am heartened by people who have stood up in Charlottesville and around Virginia this year, driven to engage in peaceful activism out of concern, compassion, and care. Virginia knows hate and division from its past, and we’ve spoken out to say we will not be dragged backwards.
“We’ve been on an arc toward a better future, but we have more work ahead. As a country we have to commit to ending institutional inequality in housing, education, criminal justice, and access to voting. We have to stand up against hate, wherever we see it. And we need to respond to the shocking display of bigotry that we witnessed in Charlottesville by redoubling our commitment to equality.”
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