Groups across the country continue to rally against racism, and Sunday an interfaith rally is scheduled at the State Capitol in Hartford, with organizers hoping to send a message of unity after the violence in Charlottesville.
It’s been a week since the events unfolded in Charlottesville.
And tomorrow an event here at the Capitol hopes to prevent that violence from happening again.
“We have a very real threat facing American, facing Connecticut, and that threat is hate,” said Joel Leyden of the Interfaith Coalition Against Racism.
To combat that fear Joel Leyden joined forces with Zahir Mannan, of the Baitul Aman “House of Peace” Mosque.
About a month ago, they met as both surveyed a Jewish cemetery which had been vandalized in Hartford. That’s when the idea of a new group was born.
“This coalition formed where we were like we’re all children of the same human family,” Mannan explained.
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The Interfaith Coalition Against Racism brings together people of various religions with a mission of promoting tolerance over hate. It’s an ideal that seemed more urgent after the deadly violence in Virginia last weekend.
“There are a lot of things that we as a humane, civilized society can do in terms of standing up against real threats,” Leyden said.
On Saturday, there was an overwhelming turnout of counter-protesters at a controversial “Free Speech Rally” in Boston, which provided hope and faith to members of the Connecticut group.
And now they think it’s our state’s turn to send a message.
“This is not against a particular person or really any group but it’s against injustice and hatred in general,” Mannan said.
The Interfaith Rally Against Racism will take place at the State Capitol Sunday at 2 p.m.
