KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and our affiliated unions stand together in condemning the horrific events last week at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Sisters and brothers, we cannot stay silent in the face of such hatred and we know that the future of our society and children are at stake if we don’t intensify our fight against discrimination, hatred and violence.
This hatred happens close to home as well, as we have seen recently when groups of the so called “Proud Boys,” disrupted a First Nation’s event in Halifax.
When we all rise together against racism and hate, then together we will truly address the inequalities in our society.
Hatred left unchecked and unchallenged will grow and fester. The violent events in Charlottesville are now a constant reminder that fighting hate is paramount to a functioning society, and freedom of speech comes with the hope that those with the most intelligence, love and compassion will always have the last word.
We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Heather D. Heyer, a passionate civil rights advocate and ally. We must be vigilant in our efforts to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness; and we must not let ourselves become divided in our fight against white supremacy, racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and violence.
As Heather’s mother Susan said in her eulogy:
“I’m reading pages of pages of pages, how she’s touching the world. I want this to spread. I don’t want this to die. This is just the beginning of Heather’s legacy, this is not the end of Heather’s legacy. You need to find in your heart that small spark of accountability. What is there that I can do to make the world a better place?”
Danny Cavanagh is the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour.
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