A candle-lit vigil was held on Sunday evening in the Green Space in Lewisburg to support of the victims of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, VA, last weekend.

Close to 100 people came to share their feelings, stand against bigotry, and honor those whose lives were lost. This event was one of hundreds of rallies organized across the country following the violence in Charlottesville.

In a media release announcing the vigil, Greater Greenbrier Indivisible and The Women’s March – Lewisburg said, “We are horrified by what happened yesterday, but we are not surprised. We are creating a safe space to name and call out entrenched racism that is woven into the fabric of our society. We call on our friends and neighbors to not sit silent, but to condemn white supremacy, to admit that we see white privilege and to take action to shift this legacy in ourselves, our community, our state and our nation.”

“We’re trying to address the challenges we’re all facing,” said Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester. “Hate is not the way to go. Hate is not what we represent in each of our communities. We need to reflect on how we can get beyond the differences that keep us apart.”

According to an article in The Register-Herald, several speakers at the vigil reflected the feeling that white America must address the issue of racism.

“This is our work to do,” said Herb Montgomery of Renewed Heart Ministries. “Even though Lewisburg is more progressive than many small West Virginia towns, it is not perfect,” he said. “Even here, we have a long way to go to fight racism in our own small community.”

Ronceverte resident, Joan Browning, recently named to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission and a veteran of the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, spoke of her pride in Lewisburg’s expansion of its human rights ordinance to include the LGBT community. She went on to say, “The work is far from finished.”

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At the Tuesday night Lewisburg City Council meeting, council member Beverly White read an opening invocation, which she penned that day.

“Tonight we come with heavy hearts because of the tragedy in Charlottesville: the loss of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and two Virginia state troopers, Lt. H. Jay Cullen and trooper-pilot Berke M.M. Bates.

“Our hearts are heavy realizing that people are still dying in 2017 because someone believes in the civil rights for all people.

“Hate is a disease that has been ingrained in the hearts of those who are weak. Love is the cure that has been ingrained in the hearts of those who are strong.

“Tonight, we offer our prayers to the families of those who died and those who were injured in this tragedy. We offer our prayers for those who continue to live a life full of hate and prejudice that, somehow, some way, they will see that hate will never win.

“We are grateful for our citizens who continue to stand strong for all people; we are grateful for those who choose love over hate, when it would be so easy to hate in return.

“We will continue to be an inclusive, welcoming and safe community for all who live here and for all of those who will come here to live, work and play. We welcome you with open arms.”

—Beverly White,

                                                                                            August 15, 2017