Wednesday night, marchers--singing "We are not afraid" and "We shall overcome"--offered a peaceful and hopeful alternative to the violence and hatred that was on display at the so-called "Unite the Right" rally. (Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Aug 17, 2017
Replacing torches with candles and hate with hope, thousands gathered across the United States Wednesday night to mourn the death of Heather Heyer and stand peacefully against the violence perpetrated by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday. Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
--Nora NeusAt the University of Virginia (UVA), the same place white supremacists rallied and chanted racist slogans, hundreds came together for an impromptu candlelight vigil, which was initially "kept secret to prevent it from becoming a media circus and, more important, to keep the white supremacists from finding out about it and potentially disrupting the event," notesThe Daily Beast's Jackson Landers.
Soon, however, the scene began to blossom. What was at first a low-key ceremony quickly became a "sea of candles," Landers noted.
Those gathered for the UVA vigil--from students to high-profile politicians--marched from the campus's Nameless Field to "the Lawn," the same path walked by neo-Nazis last Friday.
\u201cCandlelit march at UVA in Charlottesville is starting. Over 750 at least here with candles.\u201d— Nora Neus (@Nora Neus) 1502932756
"What happened on Friday night was a tragedy and we're here to take back the lawn for this student generation, all the previous, all the future generations of students who walked the Lawn," Jerry Connor, a march attendee, told CBS. "The Lawn stands for liberty, equality, justice and freedom."
Similar events were held in cities throughout the country, a mass rebuke of white supremacy and of President Donald Trump, who earlier this week took to blaming "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville and attempted to defend those who attended the neo-Nazi rally.
New polling data indicates that the views expressed during the vigil on Wednesday are shared by most Americans. A CBS News poll released on Thursday found that most Americans disapprove of Trump's response to the white supremacist violence.
Wednesday night, marchers--singing "We are not afraid" and "We shall overcome"--offered a peaceful and hopeful alternative to the violence and hatred that was on display at the so-called "Unite the Right" rally.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday," observedCNN's Nora Neus. "Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
One observer summarized the vigil: "Candles. Not torches. Hope. Not hatred."
Watch part of the UVA procession:
\u201cAttendees sing civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" during a vigil and peaceful march in Charlottesville, VA https://t.co/g2reWQJILu\u201d— CNN (@CNN) 1502935582
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Replacing torches with candles and hate with hope, thousands gathered across the United States Wednesday night to mourn the death of Heather Heyer and stand peacefully against the violence perpetrated by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday. Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
--Nora NeusAt the University of Virginia (UVA), the same place white supremacists rallied and chanted racist slogans, hundreds came together for an impromptu candlelight vigil, which was initially "kept secret to prevent it from becoming a media circus and, more important, to keep the white supremacists from finding out about it and potentially disrupting the event," notesThe Daily Beast's Jackson Landers.
Soon, however, the scene began to blossom. What was at first a low-key ceremony quickly became a "sea of candles," Landers noted.
Those gathered for the UVA vigil--from students to high-profile politicians--marched from the campus's Nameless Field to "the Lawn," the same path walked by neo-Nazis last Friday.
\u201cCandlelit march at UVA in Charlottesville is starting. Over 750 at least here with candles.\u201d— Nora Neus (@Nora Neus) 1502932756
"What happened on Friday night was a tragedy and we're here to take back the lawn for this student generation, all the previous, all the future generations of students who walked the Lawn," Jerry Connor, a march attendee, told CBS. "The Lawn stands for liberty, equality, justice and freedom."
Similar events were held in cities throughout the country, a mass rebuke of white supremacy and of President Donald Trump, who earlier this week took to blaming "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville and attempted to defend those who attended the neo-Nazi rally.
New polling data indicates that the views expressed during the vigil on Wednesday are shared by most Americans. A CBS News poll released on Thursday found that most Americans disapprove of Trump's response to the white supremacist violence.
Wednesday night, marchers--singing "We are not afraid" and "We shall overcome"--offered a peaceful and hopeful alternative to the violence and hatred that was on display at the so-called "Unite the Right" rally.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday," observedCNN's Nora Neus. "Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
One observer summarized the vigil: "Candles. Not torches. Hope. Not hatred."
Watch part of the UVA procession:
\u201cAttendees sing civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" during a vigil and peaceful march in Charlottesville, VA https://t.co/g2reWQJILu\u201d— CNN (@CNN) 1502935582
Replacing torches with candles and hate with hope, thousands gathered across the United States Wednesday night to mourn the death of Heather Heyer and stand peacefully against the violence perpetrated by neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday. Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
--Nora NeusAt the University of Virginia (UVA), the same place white supremacists rallied and chanted racist slogans, hundreds came together for an impromptu candlelight vigil, which was initially "kept secret to prevent it from becoming a media circus and, more important, to keep the white supremacists from finding out about it and potentially disrupting the event," notesThe Daily Beast's Jackson Landers.
Soon, however, the scene began to blossom. What was at first a low-key ceremony quickly became a "sea of candles," Landers noted.
Those gathered for the UVA vigil--from students to high-profile politicians--marched from the campus's Nameless Field to "the Lawn," the same path walked by neo-Nazis last Friday.
\u201cCandlelit march at UVA in Charlottesville is starting. Over 750 at least here with candles.\u201d— Nora Neus (@Nora Neus) 1502932756
"What happened on Friday night was a tragedy and we're here to take back the lawn for this student generation, all the previous, all the future generations of students who walked the Lawn," Jerry Connor, a march attendee, told CBS. "The Lawn stands for liberty, equality, justice and freedom."
Similar events were held in cities throughout the country, a mass rebuke of white supremacy and of President Donald Trump, who earlier this week took to blaming "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville and attempted to defend those who attended the neo-Nazi rally.
New polling data indicates that the views expressed during the vigil on Wednesday are shared by most Americans. A CBS News poll released on Thursday found that most Americans disapprove of Trump's response to the white supremacist violence.
Wednesday night, marchers--singing "We are not afraid" and "We shall overcome"--offered a peaceful and hopeful alternative to the violence and hatred that was on display at the so-called "Unite the Right" rally.
"There seem to be way more people with candles here at UVA than there were white supremacists here Friday," observedCNN's Nora Neus. "Candles instead of torches. This is Charlottesville."
One observer summarized the vigil: "Candles. Not torches. Hope. Not hatred."
Watch part of the UVA procession:
\u201cAttendees sing civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" during a vigil and peaceful march in Charlottesville, VA https://t.co/g2reWQJILu\u201d— CNN (@CNN) 1502935582
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.