Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other far-right agitators circle counterprotesters at a statue of Thomas Jefferson after marching through the University of Virginia campus with torches in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 11, 2017. Credit: Shay Horse/NurPhoto via AP Images

In the wake of violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Donald Trump was widely rebuked for not explicitly condemning white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Critics said his uneven response emboldened racists.

In this week’s episode of Reveal, we dug deeper into how the Trump administration is shaping the nation’s deep-seated racial issues. We talked with people spread across the political spectrum, including white nationalist Richard Spencer and former intelligence official Daryl Johnson, as we investigated the resurgence of white supremacist groups.

We also wanted to hear from our listeners about how Charlottesville may have affected your thoughts about race, the way we treat history and free speech in America today. So we opened up our phone lines and asked for your personal statements on Charlottesville, in light of Trump’s comments.

We’ve received messages from people across the United States expressing a variety of viewpoints, reflecting the complexity of the national reaction to Charlottesville.

Some respondents said they support Trump’s remarks and condemned the use of violence by all sides:

Several callers criticized Trump’s response to Charlottesville and worried that his rise to power is energizing racism:

Others grappled with issues of how we commemorate history and shared their opinions about what should be done with Confederate monuments. From removing them entirely …

… to keeping the statues up as part of a collection of educational art.

A caller from Iowa said she thinks it’s crucial for Americans to show up and openly oppose hate groups at future events:

Such demonstrations already are in the works across the country, including anti-hate activists planning to protest white nationalist rallies in the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend.

Here at Reveal, we are working on an episode exploring the people behind these protests and their wider implications. And we’re opening up our phone lines again to get your insights.

This time, we want to know: Are you more or less likely to attend a protest or demonstration after Charlottesville? If so, what kind of action are you most inclined to take, and why?

Call 510-851-8327 and leave us a voicemail with your thoughts. Your insights will help inform our reporting and might be featured in our episode.

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Cristina Kim is the collaborations and engagement manager at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. She develops creative on-the-ground campaigns around Reveal's investigations, and works with local newsrooms via Reveal Labs to build capacity for engagement and investigative journalism. Previously, Kim was an oral historian at UC Berkeley's Oral History Center. Before that, she managed StoryCorps' library programs, where she initiated and oversaw a large-scale recording project in partnership with public and tribal libraries. She holds a master's in American Studies from Brown University and Columbia University and a bachelor's in Latin American & Latino Studies from UC Santa Cruz. She is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.

Byard Duncan is a reporter and producer for  engagement and collaborations for Reveal. He manages Reveal’s Reporting Networks, which provide more than 1,000 local journalists across the U.S. with resources and training to continue Reveal investigations in their communities. He also helps lead audience engagement initiatives around Reveal’s stories and assists local reporters in elevating their work to a national platform. In addition to Reveal, Duncan’s work has appeared in GQ, Esquire, The California Sunday Magazine and Columbia Journalism Review, among other outlets. He was part of Reveal’s Behind the Smiles project team, which was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2019. He is the recipient of two Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Headliner Award, an Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, and two first-place awards for feature storytelling from the Society of Professional Journalists and Best of the West. Duncan is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.