On Saturday, August 12th, 2017, a rally occurred in Charlottesville, North Carolina that would dramatically affect a feeling of progress in the American people. Many people of color were hurt, both physically and emotionally, because of this rally, and America was truly able to see what the dark side of progress could bring the opposition.

Those who planned the rally abused their power with the first amendment, by explaining that it was a right to self-expression, but by doing this they pushed their hateful white supremacist values on a country that has been held together by people of color and minority populations for centuries. They are now being held accountable for their actions in the court of law. The rally led to the injuries of many and the death of a young woman, Heather Heyer.

The court case, Sines v. Kessler, was brought to light in October of last year, made by nine plaintiffs who all express the pain that Charlottesville caused them.

The defendants of the case, a combined mixture of white supremacists and neo-Nazis, have expressed their anger by saying that these accusations keep them from taking the streets, which I don’t think would be a bad idea considering the amount of fear they have already created in the American people.

What could come of this case is a change in how freedom of expression is viewed, but I honestly think it would be for the better. There was no positive message that came out of the Charlottesville rally, and it really only pushed an idea that advocating and promoting racism was okay.  

What needs to be understood is that these men don’t understand what it’s like to be minorities and they don’t care. The change that would come out of these men being held accountable for their actions is that America would understand that it is not okay to use your privilege and abuse it to create fear in your surrounding community.

As a Blanchet community, we should take this opportunity to embody what it means to be inclusive and try to create progress in this fight for equality by setting the example for how people from every background should be treated, with dignity and respect.