It’s pretty common for college grads to have pride for their most accomplished alumni. The graduating class of ’97 at St. Mark’s School of Texas showed that one of their classmates was deserving of shame and disdain rather than praise.
Even after almost 20 years since their graduation, the hate spread by one of their alumni inspired the whole class to come together and stand up for human rights.
Leader of the Bigots
The hated alumni in this case is Richard Spencer, a man best known as the head of the hate-filled, Alt-right movement.
While they may have enjoyed a neutral status early in 2016, their recent meetings where members were shown giving the Nazi salute have confirmed that the Alt-right is a group of racists white nationalists.
Decrying their Most Hateful Classmate
As a collective effort to spite their infamous alumni, Richard Spencer, the class of 1997 started a CrowdRise page to raise money for opposing views. Specifically, the page is dedicated to rejecting Spencer’s ideas, and donating money to an international human rights group.
The description on the CrowdRise fundraiser is forthcoming about the class’s opposition to Richard Spencer, the alt-right racist, and bigotry in general.
“We are of different political parties and views, but unite in recognizing that these values are under attack by our white supremacist classmate Richard B. Spencer ’97.”
This effort from the St. Mark’s class of ’97 comes alongside an official condemnation of Spencer from the Headmaster of St. Mark’s, David Dini.
Turning a Negative Name into a Positive Cause
The charity benefiting from the Class of ’97 fundraiser is one that directly goes against the racially-fueled views of Spencer and the Alt-right.
That charity is the International Rescue Committee, a non-profit organization that focuses on finding homes for refugees. Since Spencer’s white nationalist rhetoric disparages immigrants and refugees, the International Rescue Committee is an ideal choice for expressing views that are the exact opposite.
Alt-right Equals Racism
If you think it must take a particularly despicable individual to inspire an entire class from 19 years ago to take action, you would be right. The Alt-right is what the racists like to call themselves; a movement for the hateful ignorant, and Richard Spencer is their ringleader.
With alarming ties to the White House via recent appointments by Trump, it’s important to know that the Alt-right is a haven for bigots, and should be rejected at every opportunity.
For the sake of human rights and progress in the US, let’s hope that others follow the lead of the St. Mark’s class of ’97, and find creative ways to fight racism when it rears its head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SgLSV9Mgfw&ab_channel=AmericanRenaissance
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
