In the face of hate, nation must do better

We need light, love, compassion, strength more than ever

When future generations reflect on 2017’s America, what will they say?

Charlottesville erupted this weekend in violence after an estimated 1000 people — neo-Nazis, skinheads and Ku Klux Klan members — showed up to support a rally sparked by the city’s decision to remove a Confederate monument, The Associated Press reports.

Hundreds more arrived to oppose the rally, AP reports, including clergy in their robes, students and activists. By the end of the day, one person was killed and 19 injured when a car plowed into a crowd of peaceful protestors.

History cannot be changed — what matters next is our reaction, and how we move forward.

Will we stand, united, in the face of hate, or will we allow hate to dominate?

We can do better, and we must.

The hate crime and horrific behavior that we’ve seen across our nation over the last year cannot be accepted as our new normal.

The Southern Poverty Law Center documented 1,094 hate crimes, acts of intimidation and biasrelated incidents in the month after the 2016 elections, between Nov. 9 and Dec. 12, 2016.

The organization broke down the numbers by type, and anti-immigrant incidents were most reported, at 315, followed by anti-black (221), antiMuslim (112) and anti-LGBT (109).

There has been, without question, a rise in hate speech and hateful acts.

Martin Luther King Jr. once told us, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

We need the light and we need love — and compassion, empathy and strength, too.

But this statement by King is the one we need today: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

We are one nation. Today, together, we MUST stand united against acts of hate and violence.