“Jews will not replace us!” This was one of the rallying cries of the white supremacists who converged on Charlottesville, VA in August 2017. While the sights and sounds of their rallies shocked the nation, they came as no surprise to ADL. Our vigilance in tracking extremist groups had enabled us to warn law enforcement of what to expect when the rally was announced. 

In Charlottesville’s wake, ADL led the national conversation about the new face of hate. We galvanized mayors and educators to turn this dark episode into a teachable moment by pledging support for anti-bias training in their communities.

Mayors' Compact to Combat Hate

Post-Charlottesville, ADL and The United States conference of mayors launched a new initiative to fight extremism and bigotry and to promote the fundamental American value of equality. The August 2017 events in Charlottesville showed that American cities need to take the lead on ending domestic extremism and violent bigotry. With the expertise of ADL, more than 329 mayors have signed The Mayors Compact to make cities safer for all who live there and to promote the fundamental principle of justice that defines our nation.

“We predicted that Charlottesville would be the largest gathering of white supremacists in over a decade. Unfortunately, we were right.”

- Oren Segal, Director of ADL's Center on Extremism

   ADL in the Media