Knocking down statues won’t heal our nations wounds — but how we treat each other could
Racism is wrong. Bigotry is immoral. White-supremacist, neo-nazi, alt-right views are simply evil. We all know this. We’re all rightfully disgusted. So why are we still reeling from the violence in Charlottesville, and the ensuing debate about race relations in our nation?
The wounds are still smarting, in part, because we’re usually too busy playing the game of “who can call out the bad guys the best and the fastest” to really learn how to heal.
This article isn’t about President Trump. Or Charlottesville, or racists, or Antifa, or whatever other group or idea has been in the mix. It’s about you and me.
A few days after the events initially unfolded, I attended the Utah Unity Rally at our state capitol, hosted by the state Republican and Democratic parties. Prominent elected officials from both sides of the aisle spoke of love, healing, and what unites us as Americans. Speech must always be protect. Evil speech must be condemned… with better speech.
I was moved by the tender yet powerful way Lt. Governor Spencer Cox simultaneously decried racism, while also extending a message of love to those who carry ideas we can’t fathom as good.
I keep asking myself: “what do we do now?” Whenever a tragedy like this happens that tears at the fabric of our nation, I think back to Abraham Lincoln’s oft-cited quote: “Shall we stop this bleeding?”
There is ample commentary about the president’s response, such as this piece by Gerard Robinson that calls for more unifying language that can even be found in the President’s inaugural address.
You can read about the evils of both the alt-right and Antifa in Jonah Goldberg’s piece, where he cites the damage both fringe elements do to American politics.
I offered my own commentary as a guest on the Blacksite Podcast, giving a firm condemnation of the alt-right and clarifying that they are not in fact a fringe wing of conservatism — they are an anti-conservative movement.
But right now I want to focus on us. How do we heal? I think we start with some essential truths, some core beliefs we all share as Americans. If we build up the values we share, perhaps those will be strong enough to heal the wounds and beat back the scourge of white supremacy or violence that seems to be rearing its head.
You ready? I’m sure you’ll think of others but here’s a start:
- All of us are created with equal worth and dignity. It doesn’t matter where we’re from, what we look like, or how we talk. It doesn’t matter how we worship God or whether we do at all, nor does it matter which way we vote come election time. EVERY person has intrinsic value simply by virtue of their humanity.
- The rule of law — and laws of morality — demand equal treatment under the law and the protection of our essential rights. This includes the right to engage in speech, even that which we find morally detestable.
- Two core principles from the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. are particularly applicable today: We cannot use hate to drive out hate, “only love can do that.” And we must judge each other by the content of our character, not the color of our skin.
I don’t think these principles are hard for most of us. What I saw at the Unity Rally at the Utah State Capitol after Charlottesville proved that to me. When it comes down to it, as Americans we really believe this stuff for the most part.
What I hope for moving forward… is that we can remember that. I hope we remember the feeling of love and unity constantly from now on. It’s easy to feel united for the common good when we’re fighting nazis. But what about when we start going toe to toe on minimum wage? How to best help the poor and homeless? Tax reform? Healthcare? We all too often forget these core principles that we all hold dear when we get mired in political battles. I hope that will change.
The healing from this has to start with you and with me — not from Washington D.C. If we unite our voices to decry the evil we saw in Charlottesville, trust me — we’ll win. I just hope we remember that uniting feeling moving forward when the battle lines are less clearly drawn.
Some want to knock down statues. I’ll let that debate happen elsewhere. But either way, that won’t heal our wounds. Not really. But the way you and I treat our fellow Americans from this moment on — regardless of how vehemently we disagree — could.
