Those Confederate statues were built on something even bigger. Watch my new video with MoveOn as I talk about how to confront white supremacy.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, MoveOn.org, September 16, 2017
Donald Trump is not the first politician to openly stoke racism and hatred.
He is a part of a much larger system of white supremacy that is reinforced in our nation election after election.
In a new video, I share my thoughts on why we need to dig deeper to address structural racism — and how we move forward.
It’s important to pull down Confederate symbols — many of which were erected as monuments to white supremacy during the Jim Crow era, decades after the Civil War. And we must also focus on the policy violence of voter suppression, attacks on immigrants, and denial of access to health care and living wages, which continue to oppress communities of color and the poor.
White supremacy is about maintaining power through the politics of division and oppression — and it impacts everyone, Black, brown, or white.
Advancing a moral agenda to confront and take down white supremacy in all its forms is work we all can do together. As I and my colleagues at Repairers of the Breach tour the country with the new #PoorPeoplesCampaign, the diversity of the communities committed to reviving the heart of democracy gives me hope.
Please take a moment to watch and share this video — then take action to tackle the symbols and policies of racism all around us.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Pres. & Sr. Lecturer, Repairers of the Breach
You can continue this conversation by following @RevDrBarber on Twitter.