Responding to far-off acts of racism from rural Colorado

     Aug. 11-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a “Unite the Right” rally brought white supremacists together, carrying torches, waving Nazi flags and spewing hate. Counterprotests were organized, and the conflict came to a head when one man committed an act of terrorism that left Heather Heyer dead and 19 others injured.
     Sunday I was in church here in Holyoke and suggested to my Bible study that we pray for people in Charlottesville. No one in the group even knew what had happened. They were, of course, horrified when they found out, but I was struck by how easy it is to go about life never noticing the hardships of others if they don’t directly affect you.
     The overwhelming response I have seen to the Charlottesville attack is that minorities and people of color aren’t surprised by the hate and racism; they see it all the time. Be it through microaggressions, slurs, “jokes” or discrimination, such people experience racism all the time, and they know that it isn’t some problem that ended with the Civil Rights Movement. What we saw in Charlottesville is a blatant example of the racism they’ve been trying to convince us still exists.
     Those of us who have the privilege of not seeing racism in our own lives can easily convince ourselves it doesn’t exist. This last weekend while I saw one instance after another of minorities speaking out against the actions of white supremacists, I also saw countless vacation pictures, memes and plenty of conversations about Game of Thrones, mostly by my white peers living in places like Holyoke.
     You know what, I like traveling and watching TV and having fun as much as the next person, but I also recognize what a privilege it is to have spent last weekend carefree, not worrying about or fearing white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
     I’m writing as someone who lives in Holyoke. I grew up here; I know what it’s like to live in a bubble without much thought or consideration for what people of color are experiencing in far-off cities. As such, I also know how important it is to make an effort to educate myself on the injustices happening — even when they don’t seem to impact me personally.
     Racism is wrong. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are wrong. Failing to condemn them just because we don’t see any right in front of us is also wrong.

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