Over the weekend, a “White Lives Matter” protest took place in Tennessee, with about 100 white nationalists and members from the International Keystone Knights, a Ku Klux Klan group, participating. This is something that we are seeing far too often in this country, and I am sick of how normal it’s becoming.
The protesters were carrying “White Lives Matter” signs and Confederate flags, and chanting for closed borders and deportation. Let’s break down everything wrong with this.
First of all, “White Lives Matter” is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard. There was never a time in American history when white lives did not matter. There is no need to be chanting about how much white lives matter in America — they have always mattered.
“Black Lives Matter” is a real thing because black people have been and still are treated extremely poorly in this country, and they face actual dangers because of their skin color. None of these men will ever know what that is like, so the purpose of this whole “white lives matter” thing is lost on me.
Thor Henderson, a grand officer for the Ku Klux Klan, spoke at the rally, saying the group had “been here marching for the white people’s rights.” Are they under the impression their rights are at risk? Do they feel they are lacking rights? I am fairly certain that all their rights are perfectly intact, and will remain that way.
What these people are actually marching for is white power and dominance, because they truly believe being white makes them superior. To phrase it as marching for “white rights” is just incorrect.
Second, the Confederate flag stands for more than just “Southern pride.” It is a symbol of racism, violence, war and a dark time in America’s history. By waving this flag, these men undermine the many soldiers killed in the name of the Confederacy and the broken country that came as a result of it.
Carrying around a Confederate flag is extremely unpatriotic, symbolizing the splitting of our nation. Those men are glamorizing a broken America, and if that is something they truly believe in, then by all means, leave.
Lastly, their determination to close down our borders is as unwavering as it is sad. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, but it hardly seems to be so when no one can get into our country.
I know the world is a scary place right now and it seems like shutting everyone out is the only way, but that will not solve anything. If someone wants to illegally get into this country or plan an attack on America, they will get around whatever law is put in place.
Shutting down borders and adopting anti-immigrant and refugee policies will only cause further harm to the innocent people trying to escape their war-ridden world. Again, these protesters will never experience the lives some of the refugees have lived or the horrors they have seen.
Unfortunately, these people are so blinded by racism and ignorance that they cannot realize how backwards and incorrect their Confederate flags and “White Lives Matter” signs are. That is why standing up to racism through counterprotest is so important.
There were hundreds of counterprotesters out that day, yelling things like “Refugees are welcome here” and “This is what democracy looks like.” People like that are a necessity in these scary times, because if we let this hate go unchecked, it is sure to spiral out of control.
The governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, said, “We want to send a really clear message that these folks are not welcome in Tennessee.” It is so important to have authority figures like Haslam denounce the ways of these terrible people. It should not be a surprise, but President Donald Trump has yet to make any comment on these rallies.
Standing up to this blatant evil in America is integral to building our country back up. White nationalists must know they will never be welcome in our country — they will always face resistance, as long as we come together as a nation and create that resistance.
