Here at Bioneers, we’re shocked and horrified at the savage hate and violence by the alt-right in Charlottesville, but, sadly, we’re not surprised. Trump & Friends have spent years and decades brewing the toxic potion of bigotry into raw political power and plutocratic structures of domination. These are the death throes of an archaic worldview that’s being fueled and manipulated by cynical elites.

These events reveal the poisonous id of American politics for all to see, unvarnished and unapologetic. We need to purge these toxins from our culture, our politics, and our hearts.

As Heather Heyer’s mother so very eloquently said at her daughter’s funeral, if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention, and we need to make her needless death count. The bigger the light, the longer the shadow. Even as we grieve and acknowledge the terrible trauma, this is our time to bring a whole lot of light into the world, to transform our pain into healing.

This is a transformational moment, and it’s up to us which way the nation will go. As this vicious underbelly of hate has slithered into the light, what it’s revealing and catalyzing is the revulsion to it by the vast majority of people. The culture has already moved far past these twisted ways of seeing and being. Diversity is an article of faith in the natural world – the way things are and are meant to be for healthy, thriving life.

Please let us know your thoughts, feelings and initiatives. This is the time for a massive change for transformation. May we be the change and transform our pain into power and love.

Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers Founder & CEO