NCIL Statement on the White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville

NCIL strongly condemns the racist and anti-Semitic violence that occurred over the weekend in Charlottesville, VA. We are horrified by the loss of life and brutality that took place at the hands of violent white supremacists. We especially honor and acknowledge Heather Heyer, who was killed when a white supremacist deliberately rammed his car into a crowd of counter protestors, injuring 19 people who were putting their bodies on the line in the fight for justice. We decry the lack of police response to the escalating white violence in Charlottesville. We stand in solidarity with all of those who have not allowed racist and Anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence to go unchecked in their communities.

NCIL is committed to fighting bigotry in all its forms, including white supremacy, within our own disabled communities. Disabled people are represented in all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, and sexual orientations. We recognize that ableism impacts and is impacted in turn by other forms of oppression, including racism and anti-Semitism. To focus on ableism as a singular phenomenon, separate from other forms of oppression and violence, is to doom our movement to fail. We specifically lend our support to Black and/or Jewish people who were directly targeted by the hate speech espoused by the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. We also condemn and denounce the transphobic and homophobic hate speech on display in Charlottesville.

NCIL continues fighting against oppression every day. We are committed to dismantling the white privilege and racism in disability communities and prioritizing intersectionality as a key component of our work. We have a long way to go, but together, we can be a powerful force for justice.