BRODY-BOYD: Responding to hate and violence on our doorstep
I spent the summer welcoming new students to the University. Among the many activities I helped facilitate were conversations with the Dean of Students about acceptance, civil discourse and diversity. We held a program entitled “I Am UVA,” where students shared their unique stories of fitting into the University community and finding a home at University, regardless of their background. Incoming students consistently said they were more confident and excited to attend the University after these sessions, and they were less nervous about not fitting into the different stereotypes they may have heard about Virginia. But now, two weeks after leaving these positive experiences of community building, three people are dead and dozens injured in the aftermath of clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters.