The New York Times “reached out to University of Virginia students to reflect on the event”.
Six students did so. The link to their stories is here.
(As I was writing this “Breaking News” came across the top of the page telling me Trump has spoken-”Racism is evil”. How good of him to notice. “Bowing to overwhelming pressure”….
It changes nothing. The dye is cast. He is, as as Paul Krugman said, un-American. And so is every one of the Republicans who either implicitly or explicitly supports him. )
I recommend reading all of their thoughts. Thoughtful perspectives from the scene can only help to bring more light to a very very dark place.
Weston Gobar:
After this weekend, there should be no excuse for anyone to not take white supremacy seriously. Certainly the neo-Nazis who came to Charlottesville to intimidate minority communities take themselves seriously...
Aryan A. Frazier:
...
But for all the vitriol and hatred, there was also something deeply human happening in downtown Charlottesville. People were offering each other water, masks, earplugs and gloves. One kind woman came around to offer us locally grown cherry tomatoes. I, for my own peace of mind, have to believe that humanity’s good will eventually outweigh its bad. It won’t happen on its own, but with the help of people like those who were helping, or perhaps, watching from their homes in horror, thinking about the role they might play to stop something like this from happening again.
Isabella Ciambotti:
Violence and hate and blood, that’s what I saw. What happened in Charlottesville this past weekend wasn’t a rally. It was a riot.
[..]
There were absolutely groups of peaceful protesters in Charlottesville this past weekend, many making a mature show of resistance. But what I saw on Market Street didn’t feel like resistance. It felt like every single person letting out his or her own well of fear and frustration on the crowd
Leanne Chia and Elizabeth Sines:
…
We witnessed domestic terrorism in our home. Neither of us regrets attending the rally, and we will keep showing up, every single time it’s necessary.
Nojan Rostami:
...
I know the university needs to put out a measured response. I’m trying to be sympathetic to what is certainly a delicate situation for the administration.
But it’s hard to do that when I’m staying up on Saturday night fending off nightmares of armed militiamen dragging me out of my dorm room in the middle of the night, because did you see how those guys were able to just walk onto the Lawn like that? Those men beat and pepper-sprayed my friends and killed a young woman in the town I have come to call home.
Brendan Novak:
...
I still believe in the sanctity of the First Amendment. True progress and healing can be achieved only through open, honest dialogue. But what happened in Charlottesville doesn’t, and perhaps never did, qualify as protected speech.
I was wrong about the nature of the alt-right, but I am encouraged by the widespread backlash and denunciation of their ideology. Despite the shocking, gut wrenching images coming out of my town, the solidarity on display gives me hope that we can work toward a more open and inclusive society.
Small edit to add this link-
Adding a link to The Takeaway that includes, first up, and interview with Aryan Frazier, quoted above. Very much worth the listen- I encourage you to listen to what she had to say. The interview with the mayor of Lexington, Kentucky is also worth a listen.