Robert Angotti
This Happened?
A white supremacist group vandalized a mural I had commissioned from a young artist in our area. I had invited the artist to consider “This American Moment”, as a prompt for his work. I provided a very small financial gift, a garage door, and some paints. The artist composed the work which you can see on the southwest corner of our building at 824 Main, Fargo. He is repairing the work now.
This Is Happening?
The Department of Homeland Security has identified white supremacist, extremists as the biggest domestic terror threat today. A representative of the FBI’s Department of Justice has reached out to us and other businesses targeted by this local hate. Individuals effected by the vandalism and violence of this and other hate groups will be working with the FBI to develop strategies for responding to this rising extremist activity. A meeting for the general public will follow.
What Will Happen?
What I wonder is, how do we move from and through hate toward something else? What will that look like? Can we find the courage to imagine that? Can we find the will to take on the threat that divisiveness and hate pose to our collective human soul? If we don’t begin to become curious about the hate arising in ourselves , amongst us, in our very neighborhoods, I fear we will be looking at something much more shameful soon.
Author Ruth Ben-Ghiat has studied the rise of extremism, fascism and authoritarian governments. In an interview on her most recent book Stongmen professor Ben-Ghiat comments on the challenge everyday citizens face when violent extremist factions begin to rise in their country.
“It’s not just Americans that say ‘Well it can’t happen here’. The Germans (before the rise of Nazism) thought ‘Well we are the most cultured people on earth.'”
“So it’s a little bit of denial, and a little bit of wishful thinking. “
“It’s scary to think that your country might go down that path. It also means that you might have to do something, you might have to get involved. You can’t take your rights for granted anymore.”
Interview with Ruth Ben-Ghiat
