08/16/2017 04:55 PM
FRANKFORT — Dozens gathered to denounce white nationalism and, at times, call for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue in the Capitol rotunda on Wednesday, a demonstration in response to the eruption of violence in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.
The One People, One Commonwealth rally started with a moment of silence for Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old woman killed after a car barreled into a group of counter-protesters, and H. Jay Cullen and Burke Bates, two Virginia state troopers who died in a helicopter crash while monitoring the unrest, before speakers — a mix of Republicans, Democrats and community activists — took turns speaking out against racism and asking for the statue of the Confederate president to be moved off Capitol grounds.
Sadiqa Reynolds, president of the Louisville Urban League, condemned leaders who she said empowered bigotry, adding that true unity requires more than a rally.
“We cannot claim unity when you only stand with us on days like today,” she said. “We cannot claim unity when you see injustice and you do nothing. We cannot pretend to be unified when good people are silent in the face of hate. The indifference being shown by our leaders is sickening.”
