“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing”.

– Toni Morrison

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If you haven’t already heard, the white supremacist hate group “Patriot Front” marched through the city of Nashville (plus a few other cities) over the weekend. They wore matching outfits, masks (imagine that!), and flew a variation of flags: the upside down American flag, the Betsy Ross colonial flag, the confederate flag, and more.

After sharing about this on Instagram over the past few days, I started to receive a few messages and comments with a claim that makes me scratch my head every time I hear it:

“They’re not a real hate group. They’re the Feds.” 

I’m irritated that a hate group is the topic of this email today… so irritated that I delayed writing it all day–which is why you’re getting it now and not 12 hours ago. 

It seems that we could all use a refresher about the do’s and don’ts of reacting to displays of hate… If not for you, then maybe for the people around you who may be skeptical about both the reality and severity of these kinds of groups. 

Let’s just dive in.

1. The (not credible) claims that the Patriot Front is a government operation changes absolutely nothing about what happened over the weekend.

Do you remember the film, “Birth of a Nation” by D. W. Griffith? It’s a 1915 silent film that portrays the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, glorifies the Ku Klux Klan, and perpetuates racist stereotypes.

Then-president Woodrow Wilson held a viewing party for it in the White House. He endorsed it. When the Supreme Court got a chance to watch it, Justice Edward Douglass White fondly reflected on his KKK membership.

Basically: white supremacy is white supremacy, from the federal government down to Fifth Street in Nashville, TN. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck… baby, it’s a duck. Government officials being involved in a hate group would not come as a shock to me. The intentions of demonstrations like the ones we’ve witnessed are not the only factors that determine whether or not it’s traumatizing. The ACT ITSELF, regardless of who executed it, reeks of white supremacy and it’s wrong on every level. 

For accurate documentation on the origins of the (very real) hate group, Patriot Front, check out The Southern Poverty Law Center.

2. Racism takes a very real and damaging toll on the brain.

Witnessing a racist demonstration, such as a hate group march, can have significant psychological and emotional impacts on the targeted communities. Chronic exposure to racism and discrimination leads to heightened stress responses, causing long-term activation of the body’s stress systems.

When incidents like this happen, ignoring or denying that it’s real signals to targeted communities that the threats aren’t being taken seriously by those around them, which can cause victims to gaslight themselves while ignoring the adverse effects of their exposure to the hate on their wellbeing. The best thing we can do is name it, call it out for what it is, and extend love to those who had to experience it while doing what we can to put an end to it.

The thing that has historically moved the needle on sending groups like these back into the shadows is public disapproval. The more we speak out, vote, and fight against this hateful rhetoric and behavior, the more unwelcome these groups will feel in our cities and on our streets. 

I hope that you’ll keep finding ways to make your voice heard and that you’ll hold space for those who’ve been on the receiving end of the recent uptick in hateful, racist action.