Members of the clergy form a human chain between counter-protesters and white nationalist militia in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 12, 2017. (Photo: Heather Wilson / Dust & Light Photos)
Since election night 2016, the streets of the US have rung with resistance. People all over the country have woken up with the conviction that they must do something to fight inequality in all its forms. But many are wondering what it is they can do. In this ongoing “Interviews for Resistance” series, experienced organizers, troublemakers and thinkers share their insights on what works, what doesn’t, what has changed and what is still the same. Today’s interview is the 63rd in the series. Click here for the most recent interview before this one.
Today, in the aftermath of the white supremacist rally and attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia, we bring you a conversation with Lisa Woolfork of Black Lives Matter Charlottesville.
Sarah Jaffe: How are you holding up?
Lisa Woolfork: No Black woman, like myself, would have been wandering around anywhere down here by themselves yesterday. So, that is a big shift.
So, the last time there was a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville was not that long ago.
You know, there has been one every single month since May. Every month. I think that is important. To me it is a type of escalation on the part of the “alt-right.” We had that torch rally around the Lee statue. I think in May they had an event. In June they had one. In July, of course, the Klan. Then, August, it is this one. We have started calling this the Summer of Hate. We are trying to say, “What was the last white supremacist rally we had here? Was that the May one? With the handful of Klansmen? Was it the June one?” Yes, it has been quite a bit.
This one was obviously a bit of an escalation for them, but tell me how your day went yesterday? What was going on where you were?
I began the day at the First Baptist Church on Main Street. It is an historic African…