St. Louisan and University of Virginia alumna Jessica Fowler and more than 200 other black UVA alumni united in response to the weekend events in Charlottesville that left one woman dead and 19 people injured when a 20-year-old identified as a Nazi sympathizer and white nationalist rammed his vehicle into a crowd of counter-demonstrators.
James Alex Fields Jr. drove into the crowd after police reportedly called off the “Unite the Right” protest organized by white-supremacists. The protest, organized online by Ryan Kessler, was a reaction against the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The responses are a result of hundreds of alumni coming together through social media and conference calls. They shared their words with some news media outlets and through social media. The group, calling themselves “Concerned UVA Alumni,” stated they “watched in horror along with the rest of the world as bitterness, bigotry and hatred descended on the place we have called home.”
“The hateful groups who have come to Charlottesville have traveled from far and near to espouse racial superiority and champion the Confederate cause. In the name of preserving a hateful heritage, they aim to tear a hole in the fragile fabric of reconciliation and progress in our nation. But their demonstrations have only made one point abundantly clear: that the placement of the statue of Robert E. Lee to which they rally is precisely as destructive and dangerous as we all feared,” the alumni stated.
“Today, we mourn for the lives lost in association with the protest in Charlottesville. We rise above the cries for division or the efforts to incite more violence. Today, we call for affirmative steps to make our college hometown—and so many cities like it, safer and more inclusive communities.”
This domestic terrorist act took place the weekend before UVA students were scheduled to move onto campus. Black alumni wrote an open letter to incoming freshmen to offer support, encourage administrative responsiveness, and to spread the word about how others can support Charlottesville as it fights against the terror of white supremacy.
“As former students, we know the angst you must be experiencing as you make last minute preparations for your move on grounds. We are sure that recent events have not only increased your anxiety but perhaps caused you to question attending the university. It’s important to note that while these events are egregious in nature they are not completely unprecedented,” black alumni wrote.
“While attending a public university in the South, each of us as black alumni has experienced or witnessed racism and prejudice. We were able to triumph over each situation through the help of the university, alumni and most importantly, through our relationships with one another in a community filled with love and support. However, the magnitude of this particular event is quite uncommon and requires immediate attention. Racism, prejudice, and discrimination are not values honored by the University of Virginia nor are they accepted by its students, faculty, staff or alumni.”
It is signed, “With Respect and Love, UVA Black Alumni Family,” and included the hashtags to share: #OurUniversity , #WeAreCharlottesville and #HoosAgainstHate (“Hoos” is an abbreviation of “Wahoos,” a nickname for UVA sports teams).
“At the forefront of the motivation for all of the actions taken is really ensuring that the students at the University of Virginia feel supported and know that the views of those who marched on our Grounds and attempted to strike fear and terror into the Charlottesville community do not represent UVA,” said Dr. Jessica Fowler, a St. Louis native and black alumna of UVA who is active in these outreach efforts.
“Currently we have alumni organizing vigils in different cities across the country, we have a group of alumni going down to UVA to help with move-in for the new first-year’s this coming weekend, and we have alumni reaching out to students in their respective regions to offer support to them and their parents who no doubt have worries and fears as this school year begins.”
She said their wider goal is to mobilize nationwide against “white-supremacy groups looking to spread terror in our country.”
For example, UVA alumni members of a variety of National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations have helped create replies from fraternities and sororities. Alumni in law have encouraged statements form the American Bar Association and the Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Contacts also have been made with the Student National Medical Association, National Medical Association, National Bar Association, National Society of Black Engineers, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
“Alumni has also continued to encourage the administration and various offices at the University of Virginia to have solid plans for support of all students as they return for this academic year,” Fowler said.
Alumni want others to know that the march with torches on Friday night was led by white supremacist/nationalist youth leaders from across the country, not UVA students, and neither the campus nor students endorsed the march. The group said UVA students were on the front lines of anti-protests. At least one alumnus, Darius Carter, was hit by one of the vehicles during the fatal attack. The protestors were heading back to their cars when the suspect launched his attack.
In addition to the letter-writing campaign for incoming freshmen at UVA, alumni and students are using social media to take a stand against this invasion of racist outside protestors.
#TakeDownHate is in support of taking down Confederate statues that incite violence, hatred and conflicts like the one in Charlottesville. #HoosAgainstHate seeks to unify UVA students and give them space and voice to share their where they personally stand on the issue. At press time #HoosAgainstHate had been the most impactful, with 490 posts that reached 372,738 people and left 543,659 impressions.
The group is also organizing statements in solidarity with local leadership to seek removal of Confederate symbols and asking communities nationwide to step-up such efforts to remove images that glorify a war that was rooted in defending slavery.
Alumni will be on campus at UVA during Move In Weekend to help incoming students and their families and in solidarity, “especially on a campus that has become a national battlefield to protect white supremacy.”
The group is asking others to publicly condemn what happened and to support Charlottesville mayor’s efforts to remove the statue. It asked concerned citizens to come to the campus to help the move-in, in support of black and minorities in what has become a hostile environment over the issue. Lastly, the alumni group is encouraging leaders in other cities to remove Confederate monuments, statues and other related symbols from their communities as well.
In an August 13 letter to alumnus and friends, UVA President Teresa Sullivan condemned the hate-filled events of the weekend, which included a torch march on campus Friday night with violent altercations hours before the Saturday rally in the city, where 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer of Charlottesville was killed when the car smashed into counter-demonstrators .
“The university supports the First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceable assembly. Acts of violence, however, are not protected by the First Amendment. Violence and bigotry are not political positions. We strongly condemn intimidating and abhorrent behavior intended to strike fear and sow division in our community,” Sullivan stated.
“As a public institution, we value diversity, inclusion and mutual respect. We value an environment in which learning happens. The views of many of the groups who converged on Charlottesville are in direct contradiction with this. There were racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic and misogynistic chants. Such rhetoric is not intended to bring us together; it is intended to drive us apart.”
Two Virginia State Police officers were killed in a helicopter crash near Charlottesville on Saturday as well.
During his first court hearing on August 14, the suspect James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio, was denied bail. Fields faces charges of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and for leaving the scene of the incident. His next hearing is August 25.
