Stateside's conversation with Rochelle Riley, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press.America has now seen back-to-back weekends with white supremacist marches. First in Charlottesville, Virginia, where one counter-protester was killed, then last Saturday in Boston, where a small "Free Speech Rally" was dwarfed by more than 10,000 counter-protesters.
After Charlottesville, President Donald Trump declared there was blame “on many sides," then later doubled down, declaring there were “fine people” on both sides.
Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley joined Stateside to unpack why all of this is happening now. Riley said she believes everything surrounding white nationalism and the "alt-right" in recent years can be traced back to the failure of the nation to deal with the aftermath of slavery. But this is a turning point, she said.
"This is the point in history where we have to choose what America is going to be."
Riley urged those who denounce the actions of white supremacists across the country to spring into action.
"I appreciate that they say that, but if they're not doing something to make us better than this it's empty words. The time for just talking about it ... is over," Riley said. "You have to do something."
Listen to the full conversation above.
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