Galindez writes: "Don’t get me wrong: I am not looking to join a violent group and kick some ass. I am looking for the opposite of the alt-right."
White nationalists, foreground, clashing on Saturday with counter-protesters, some of them members of the so-called antifa movement, in Charlottesville, Va. (photo: Edu Bayer/NYT)
Alt-Left? Sign Me Up!
20 August 17
on’t get me wrong: I am not looking to join a violent group and kick some ass. I am looking for the opposite of the alt-right. I also am not going to sit back and watch fascists spread their hate against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
I want everyone to know that I am the opposite of the neo-Nazi, racist, fascist white supremacists that are an embarrassment to humanity. I don’t blame the Antifa or Black Lives Matter for the death of Heather Heyer. Donald Trump did – he defended the actions of the murdering terrorists when he called out both sides. Nobody in the Antifa drove a vehicle into a crowd of people.
So let’s look at this fictitious alt-left. Is it made up of people who believe we are all created equal? If that is alt-left, sign me up!
Does alt-left mean I believe black lives, Latino lives, Muslim, Jewish and Christian lives, etc., matter? If that is alt-left, then sign me up!
Does it mean I believe that women are equal to men? Sign me up.
Does it mean I believe our strength as a nation is enhanced by our diversity? Then sign me up!
Does it mean that I am disgusted by the bigotry of people like Donald Trump, David Duke, and Steve Bannon? Sign me up!
Does it mean I’m anti-fascist? Sign me up!
Does it mean I condemn the Confederacy and our country’s racist past? Sign me up!
I don’t want anything to do with the tactics of the alt-right. I don’t want to spread hatred of anyone. I want to counter their hate with justice and equality for everyone.
I believe I have no greater claim to a job than someone else based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. We are all human beings. I don’t care where you were born – you are my brother or sister.
If that makes me alt-left, sign me up!
Of course, the greatest way to fight hatred is with love. Here is a response to Charlottesville by interfaith activists in Des Moines:
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counter-inaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.
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