In August of 2017, a white supremacist rally known as “Unite the Right” was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, marking one of the darkest days in U.S. history. Groups on the far-right participated, including self-identified members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and numerous right-wing militias. Many of these participants chanted racist and antisemitic slogans and carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, as well as Confederate battle flags.

Sojourner Truth Radio: November 24, 2021 – Charlottesville, Thankstaking, Christian Nationalism

Today on Sojourner Truth:

In a message to white supremacist organizations and leaders of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a jury in Charlottesville awarded more than $26 million in damages after finding the white nationalists who organized and participated in the violent rally liable on a state conspiracy claim and other claims. Our guest is Susan Bro, a resident of Virginia, who is the mother of Heather Heyer, the young woman who was killed on August 12, 2017, when a car plowed into a crowd of counter demonstrators who were protesting the Unite the Right rally.

Millions of people across the United States are gearing up for an extended holiday weekend. Thanksgiving has been an official holiday in the United States since 1863. Most use the occasion to gather with friends and family. Others volunteer to serve meals to unhoused people. But to Indigenous peoples, it is a day of mourning. Our guest is Shannon Rivers, who is a Native American rights campaigner.

We also speak about Christian nationalism with Colleen Thomas, a Washington, D.C. native and the co-convener of the Faith Working Group of the Los Angeles Poor People’s Campaign.