"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." — Elie Wiesel
On Aug. 15, my wife gave birth to our second son, whose middle name honors the memory of our relatives slaughtered during the Holocaust. That same day, U.S. President Donald Trump held a news conference where, instead of unambiguously providing support and comfort to the communities targeted by white nationalists and the victims of the resulting violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (including Heather Heyer, who was killed when a neo-Nazi plowed his car into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters), he chose to embolden those white nationalists and other hate groups through equivocation.
Trump made his choice. Now it is time for every American, including those of us living in Japan, to choose between hate and tolerance, ignorance and knowledge, revisionism and truth. We must hold each other accountable. It is time to pick a side.