The Highlander Research and Education Center has been instrumental in social justice organizing and training in eastern Tennessee since its founding in 1932. When it was destroyed by a fire last Friday, documents and memorabilia spanning decades were lost; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks were guests of the Center over the years.
While bomb and arson officials are investigating the cause of the fire, a "white power" symbol was sprayed on a parking lot adjacent to the Center, lending weight to the belief that the fire was started by white supremacists. A news release from the Center echoed that belief:
"While we don't know the names of the culprits, we know that the white power movement has been increasing and consolidating power across the South, across this nation, and globally. Since 2016, the white power movement has become more visible, and we’ve seen that manifest in various ways, both subtle and overt." (our emphasis)What could have happened in 2016 that prompted the white power movement to "become more visible?" Hmmmmm. We're not saying a group of racist red caps changed into their Klan gear and torched the Center, but we are saying that the climate for that to happen has flourished under sociopath and bigot Donald "Not Exonerated" Trump, and he's doing nothing to combat it.
BONUS: Not only not doing anything to combat it, but --
The day after we find out the administration that winks at domestic terrorists is disbanding Homeland Security's domestic terrorism intelligence unit.https://t.co/niFTFGKb0b— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) April 3, 2019
(photo: The Highlander Center on fire, via NBC News)
