The one-year anniversary of the deadly white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia had many on pins and needles this past weekend. The original Unite the Right rally had left three people dead and 33 injured. As a result, Washington, DC braced itself to prevent further violence at this year’s Unite the Right 2 rally.
Fortunately, the headlines were very different this year:
- “White nationalists dwarfed by crowds of counterprotestors in Washington”– CNN.com
- “Rally by White Nationalists Was Over Almost Before It Began” – The New York Times
- “Photos: Behold the Pathetic, Puny ‘Unite the Right 2’ Rally” – Gothamist
- “Unite the Right” Fizzles Amid a Boisterous Counter-Protest” – The Atlantic
- “Unite the Right DC: Counterprotestors drastically outnumber white supremacists in DC” – Fox 5 DC
Amaris Modesto, senior digital program manager in the Porter Novelli New York office, attended the rally to stand up to hate:
“Yesterday, I joined thousands marching from Freedom Plaza to Lafayette Square in Washington, DC to counter protest the white supremacist Unite the Right rally. Our objective in counter-protesting was to prevent neo-Nazi, racist, white supremacists from carrying their platform forward. After Heather Heyer’s death in Charlottesville, Virginia last year, I was worried about safety, but kept optimistic, organized and felt righteously determined to use my voice and body to counter hate. There were moments where the energy was palpable: people were defiant, danced, waved Black Lives Matter flags, and I caught glimpses of the possibility of a world where diversity is cultivated and celebrated. The counter-protest outnumbered the Unite the Right by thousands, which was such an important message to the world. The thousands that came out on Sunday represent millions of people who will not stand for white supremacy. It was great to take part in that.”
Eamonn Donnelly, graphic designer and illustrator in the Porter Novelli Washington DC office, photographs concerts and cultural events around the city in his spare time. He also was among the throngs of counter-protestors standing up to hate on Sunday. “It was empowering to be part of a chorus of voices championing love over hate,” he said.
Some of his photographs are below:
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