Strengthening our Resolve in the Wake of Charlottesville

The Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence extends our sympathies to the families of those injured and killed in last weekend’s white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. We condemn their hatred and the culture of violence and oppression that it sustains. This type of hatred and bigotry emboldens those who use violence, coercion, intimidation, and domination to maintain power over others.

Last weekend’s events in Charlottesville made clear, yet again, the pressing need to dismantle systems of oppression that justify and promote violence. White supremacy is one of many such systems that play a central role in the continuation of gender based violence. We must acknowledge that all forms of oppression contribute to, and justify the existence of, domestic violence.

LCADV’s mission is to end domestic violence, and to do that we must not only acknowledge these systems of oppression, but actively work to end them. We encourage those who seek an end to domestic violence to recognize its roots in white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, and colonialism, and to take an active role in ending them. Only then will we create a society where all can live free of violence.