BEST SMALL, NON-DAILY —2017 Virginia Press Association The independent press of Virginia Commonwealth University
NEWS RamSafe • 3
SPORTS Mens basketball • 4
February 12, 2018 • Vol. 59, No. 4
OPINIONS Stock market • 9
SPECTRUM RVA Bachata • 7
A MOTHER REMEMBERS
PHOTO BY ERIN EDGERTON
Six months after Charlottesville, mother of slain activist shares message of tolerance
For Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, the last six months have been hallmarked by efforts to promote the values her daughter stood for — and eventually died for — in Charlottesville. FADEL ALLASSAN Managing Editor Six months after she was killed protesting a neo-Nazi rally, a memorial for Heather Heyer at the site of her death is still being showered with gifts, mementos and flowers. But it has also been vandalized, according to Heyer’s mother -- a reminder of the hatred that took her daughter’s life. For many, the riot triggered by far-right protesters in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 exposed the underbelly of hatred and racism in America, and the months since then have been about coming to terms with that reality. But for Susan Bro, Heyer’s mother, the halfyear has been hallmarked by efforts
to promote the values Heyer stood for — and eventually died for — in Charlottesville. “She wanted everybody treated equally and fairly. That was a lifelong passion for her,” Bro said Sunday in an interview with the Commonwealth Times. Bro said she is getting used to a new lifestyle after her daughter’s death. She has had speaking arrangements and preached a message of empowerment at the MTV Video Music Awards and on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Reporters have constantly been at her door. She is working with a public relations firm and is hiring a press agent and speaker’s bureau to help her manage the demands. She said she has been surprised
that people want to hear what she has to say. But she hopes to empower them to fight prejudice and intolerance. “It’s not about me, and it’s not really about my daughter. It’s more that people are horrified to realize how entrenched the hatred is,” Bro said. “I think that addressing people in a calm and rational manner not only reassures people but gives them a little bit of hope about how we can fix this.” The nation is still reeling from the events of Aug. 11-12, when farright activists gathered in Charlottesville for what they claimed was a protest opposing the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue from Emancipation Park. It quickly devolved into may-
hem when the so-called “alt-right” protesters clashed with those who showed up to oppose them. One far-right protester drove a car into a group of counterprotesters — killing Heyer, who was 32 years old, and injuring 19 others. Immediately after Heyer’s death, Bro started a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to help pay for her daughter’s funeral costs. Donations came in droves to pay for the funeral, Bro said. When the funeral was over, the fund still had more than $200,000. Using her daughter’s story to amplify a positive message, Bro then established the Heather Heyer Foundation, which will give scholarships to high school students in Charlottesville.
“I said, ‘There’s no way people think we need this kind of money for the funeral itself.’ That tells me people want to be a part of whatever they feel Heather was doing,” Bro said. “I said, ‘We’ve got to do something responsible with this money.’ All this money was coming in, and I wanted to be held accountable for it.’” The foundation will grant scholarships to students at Charlottesville High School and William Monroe High School, which Heyer attended, in Stanardsville, Virginia. Bro said the money will go to students who want to advocate for social justice. “We’re not looking to create new advocates. We’re looking to help advocates who are already in activ-
ism to further their education,” Bro said. In the face of all this, Bro is a mother grieving the loss of her daughter. She still misses her daughter and is often stricken by moments of deep grief. She remembers her daughter as a young adult who was trying to be the best grown-up she could be — working three jobs to be self-sufficient. Heather Meyer was a paralegal and worked as a bartender and waitress in the evening. “She was a go-getter, and I was proud of her for that,” Bro said. Bro visited her daughter’s impromptu memorial Sunday, the day before the six-month mark since her death. The street has been continued on page 8
PHOTO BY JACOB MEDLEY
VCU Athletics spotlights sexual assault protocol “We take pride in knowing that we are leaders on our campus in creating a safe and supportive culture for all students.”
— Ed McLaughlin VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics See page 5