An Open Letter to Virginia: Embrace Love, Not Hate

August 12, 2018

Last year, Heather Heyer lost her life when a driver plowed his car plowed into a crowd of counter-demonstrators who were protesting a rally of neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and other white nationalists. A young woman whose heart was filled with love for all people was killed by hate. And, yet, there will be another Unite the Right rally today and tomorrow.

The presence of the new order of the KKK and other white supremacy groups is terrifying. The goal of the Unite the Right rally is to plant discord, fear and intolerance in our communities. And, unfortunately for millions of Americans, it means it puts us at risk to violence.

Every day this country becomes more divided by hate and bigotry. The rhetoric we’re hearing from the current Administration and Republicans only adds fuel to the fire.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am not running to be the liberal congresswoman or the conservative congresswoman. I am running to be the people’s congresswoman.

But, I am fully aware that to bring the change we need in our communities we must acknowledge a problem exists. The fight for equity requires we do more than make blanket statements about diversity and inclusion.

I was born in 1968 – three months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

My mother carried me in her womb during the King riots in Washington, D.C. and prayed I would grow up in a world where I did not have to face the same discrimination. She wanted to ensure that the casket of sorrow we would bury with Dr. King would be the beginning of a new history for my generation.

Although we’ve made progress since Jim Crow and the civil rights movement – and the economic and social well-being has improved for many Americans, many still face prejudices that affect how they live, love, work and worship based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, ability and class.

We must work to legally protect all citizens through a Universal Equal Rights Amendment and address discriminatory policies that pervades our institutions. Whether it is, civil rights, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, gender equality or religious freedom, the idea that at this point in our nation’s history we are fighting for the equality of ANY group is unfathomable to me.

We can counter the KKK and white supremacy by passing laws and adopting policies that stops the school-to-prison pipeline and the exploitation of human labor, limit corporations from dumping toxic waste in the backyards of low income neighborhoods and ensure that LGBTQ individuals can access housing and health services without discrimination. And, we can enshrine these protections in the Constitution with the Universal Equal Rights Amendment.

The reality is that my vote as your congresswoman impacts every American, not just those that voted for me. I am committed to a country that works for everyone, just not a few.

Join me and embrace love, not hate.

Vangie Williams

Democratic candidate

Virginia’s 1st Congressional District

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