The events of this weekend in Charlottesville are an all too painful reminder of the need for vigilance in the face of hate. We each are called upon to stand up to hate and bigotry and use our voice – large and small – to speak out when we see our differences used to justify violence.
We are proud to live in a time and place where so many people and organizations have worked together for decades to make Orange County a better for ALL. Together we have devoted years to bringing diverse people together, advocating for equal treatment of our residents and working with leaders to create a more inclusive Orange County.
However, this progress has not been easy and we have had to face uncomfortable truths over and over again as we made change.
Today we, as a nation, face another truth, one that makes us more than uncomfortable, one that make us outraged and hurt. But we must face it nonetheless. We must be vigilant as we face hate and courageous enough to name it. And then we must come together to show that our nation, our county, our communities are stronger when we are united and when we love in the face of hate.
As Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said in his message to white nationalists, “You pretend that you are patriots, but you are anything but a patriot…We are stronger than you…You will not succeed. There is no place for you here.”
We give thanks to so many of you who work every day to make this a place where everyone can feel welcomed. We stand with you as we say that bigotry and white supremacy have no place here and we will continue our fight against it.
OC Human Relations
OCCCO ( Orange County Congregation Community Organization)
CAIR-LA
California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO)
Orange County Interfaith Network
Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, Cal State San Bernadino
#HateFreeOC #Charlottesville
