Our plan to kick white nationalists out of the halls of power

Our plan to kick white nationalists out of the halls of power

August 19, 2020

We have a plan for how to beat back white nationalism and build a country for all of us — but we need your help to do it. Donate $18 today to help us win in November.

 

Last week marked three years since neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched on Charlottesville.

In 2017, Trump failed to condemn neo-Nazi violence, calling them “very fine people.” But in 2020, Trump and the GOP aren’t just failing to condemn white nationalists: they’re actually echoing their talking points and campaigning on their agenda.

We couldn’t let this go unchecked. So we took our message directly to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

On the walls of the RNC, we projected quotes from white supremacists in Charlottesville in 2017 alongside those of leading GOP figures like Trump and Matt Gaetz in 2020 — illuminating how the Republican Party is embracing, parroting, and mainstreaming white nationalist rhetoric.

Planning this projection and seeing it in real life was enlivening. It felt powerful and righteous to see the truth displayed — and supporters across the country told us how grateful and moved they were, too.

We’re committed to making more moments like this happen, but we need your support to make it possible. Donate $18 today to invest in bold, creative actions that will put politicians who spread fear and division on the defensive and cost them the election.

Bend the Arc projection on RNC Headquarters, juxtaposing the words of white supremacist David Duke in 2017 with those of President Donald Trump in 2020

Here’s where your gift will go:

1. Removing Trump and his enablers from office in November.

At Bend the Arc, we have a proven track record in making the voice of our Jewish community heard in elections. In 2018, our leaders contacted over 375,000 voters in key races around the country, knocking doors, making calls, and sending texts. In 2016, we led the only national Jewish mobilization to try to stop Trump.

In 2020, we’re continuing that fight: contacting swing voters in key states like Florida and Georgia, making the case against Trump, and providing them with the information they need to protect their vote from voter suppression. Your donation will go directly to supporting phonebanks and textbanks every week from now through November, led by Bend the Arc volunteers.

2. Supporting creative actions and powerful content that put the GOP on the defensive.

We know that American Jewish voters overwhelmingly reject Trump and see the Republican Party as a primary source of white nationalism and antisemitism.1 But that’s not the story the media is telling.

We’re on a mission to show how the GOP is using antisemitism and white nationalism to fuel fear and division — through creative actions, powerful videos, and other cutting-edge content. 

Our projection at the RNC is one impactful example. Your donation will go directly to supporting our rapid response and video teams as we call out the GOP’s bigotry online and in the streets.

This will be one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. We’re not wasting any time in resisting Trump’s tactics of bigotry and authoritarianism — can you join us by making a donation today?

DONATE NOW

The violence in Charlottesville wasn’t an isolated incident. As Trump and his enablers embrace white nationalist rhetoric, far-right movements get bolder and bolder.

Just this past weekend, white nationalists, far-right militias and Proud Boys rallied across the country: in Stone Mountain, Georgia; in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and in Portland, Oregon.2

But anti-racist groups showed up to resist and outnumber them.

The only way to defeat white nationalism is to return it to the margins by rising up with everyone threatened by it. It’s why we launched our We Rise As One campaign: to mobilize Jews and allies across the country to remove from office those who enable this movement that seeks to destroy us all — and to build a country that is truly for all of us.

Help us drive white nationalism off the streets and out of the halls of power. Donate $18 today to support this critical work.

Thank you for all you do,

The Bend the Arc team

 

Sources:

  1. Bend the Arc’s National Survey of American Jewish Voters
  2. Democracy Now, Far-Right Protesters Attack Antiracist Protesters in Georgia, Michigan and Oregon

Bend the Arc projections on RNC Headquarters, juxtaposing the words of white nationalists Richard Spencer and Matthew Heimbach in 2017 with those of Rep. Matt Gaetz and President Donald Trump in 2020