“Step Up and Say NO”: Community Rallies in Support of Fighting Racism
A rally was held at the Fargo Civic Center to show suppotr for our local refugees
FARGO, ND — North Dakota United Against Hate wants the community to come together against racism in the community.
Dozens of people braved the cold and wet conditions, but it was all for one reason: to unite in support for all.
“In the rain it’s incredible. It’s wonderful,” said Barry Nelson, who is with the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. “It reaffirms what I know about the goodness of people and the goodness of our community.”
The rally was put together to support refugees all across the F-M area who are struggling with racism and hate.
“I think every member of this community deserves to feel safe and secure here,” Nelson said. “Right now, there are members of our community who don’t feel that security. They’re feeling fearful, they have seen members of their community be attacked because of who they are.”
“Being a refugee is kind of hard but we have to work together on bringing compassion and promoting empathy out of people so we can build a more colorful community,” said Haroon Alhayeer, who is a refugee from Iraq.
Speakers from the Afro American Devolpment Association and the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition said their plan for bringing people together is simple.
“We are a community that loves people no matter where they come from,” Nelson said. “We can live together in peace and harmony and whenever we see crimes that are committed against those, we’re going to step up and say NO.”
A couple of people tried to disrupt the rally, but people said love will always overpower hate.
“Nowadays, we need more empathy,” Alhayeer said. “We need more compassion than hate. The hate divides us more than the other.”
Many people at the rally say work still needs to be done, but seeing the community come out, despite the weather and a few protesters, is a first step in the right direction.
To help victims of hate crimes in our area, the organizations have set up a GoFundMe account.
