Race/Related: Angry and Sad? Yes. Shocked? No.

African-Americans contemplate race after Charlottesville View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, August 17, 2017 [Join Race/Related »]( [White supremacists marched at the University of Virginia on Friday night.] White supremacists marched at the University of Virginia on Friday night. Edu Bayer for The New York Times By [AUDRA D.S. BURCH]( HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The Rev. Eric Brown had already seen the footage of the torches, the fire, the fights. The wreckage of Charlottesville days before was still fresh in his memory when he turned on his television on Tuesday to hear the words of President Trump. He listened intensely as the president appeared to equate white supremacist hate groups with those who protested them. First, he allowed himself to feel the hurt. And then he prayed. “His words were bone-crushing,” said Mr. Brown, 51, the minister of Greater Mt. Pleasant AME Church here, almost 24 hours after a news conference in which the president addressed the protests for a third time. “I could not help but think of the struggles of my parents and my grandparents.” Across the country, Americans are discussing and debating the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville and the comments by the president. But for African-Americans in particular, what happened in the small Virginia city served to highlight a racial fault line that, for all the talk of progress and diversity, many say has never gone away for, according to dozens of interviews. For them, the images of white supremacists marching through streets — along with the deaths of three people — and the president’s response to racial violence was upsetting, but not shocking. Instead they were proof that more work needs to be done. “I’m not surprised,” said Harold Harris, 41, a barber in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta. “This is the world we live in; this is the country that we live in. We have a lot of racism embedded in our country, in our history.” Sitting in a barber’s chair, London Balbosa, a 22-year-old college student, said he did not feel he faced as much racism growing up as previous generations of African-Americans. But he said he had recently seen a rise in demonstrations of racism, and saw fear among whites that blacks are coming into their own and into power in America. “Instead of waiting until something happens to want to talk about the issue, I think we should be focusing on publicizing ways to speak out,” Mr. Balbosa said. Just around the corner at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Erika Williams had just finished touring the center honoring the civil rights leader. She said the week’s events made her feel like the nation was reliving the 1950s and 1960s. She recalled her grandmother, who was born in Mississippi in 1912 and left as a teenager for a Chicago, promising more opportunities than what she was afforded in the Jim Crow-era South. “To think that I am reliving some of the rhetoric that my grandmother heard,” Ms. Williams said. “If my grandmother was here today, she would be in disbelief that we are having the same conversations.” In South Florida, Adym Christopher said he was most surprised by the boldness, not the message, of the protesters. “You had these white nationalists that were emboldened, walking the streets unmasked and with torches. They looked proud to be there,” Mr. Christopher said. “What it told me about America is that we have work to do.” [The Rev. Eric Brown at the Greater Mt. Pleasant AME Church in Hollywood, Fla.] The Rev. Eric Brown at the Greater Mt. Pleasant AME Church in Hollywood, Fla. Angel Valentin for The New York Times Like many African-Americans interviewed, Brenda Summerville, a Chicagoan, said she was troubled by Mr. Trump’s statements. She had long considered him to be a racist, her beliefs rooted in his questions about former President Barack Obama’s origins and birth records. “I honestly believe that he just does not care about people of color,” she said. “So I do not find this surprising or strange – he just said what I already thought he thought.” Ms. Summerville, 47, said she was concerned about what may be ahead for the nation. She said she has been contemplating the possibility of more clashes and more retaliation. “I am worried about the state of the country,” she said. “I think that here in the U.S. we really need to have an honest, open conversation about race because black people see it one way and white people see it another way and we’re not on the same page.” Jay Martin said he voted for Mr. Trump, in part because he was tired of all the Democratic leaders who, he said, came into office and made little difference. He said he admired the president’s independence and demands for change on issues, including the violence and gang problems in Chicago. Mr. Martin, 65, who is retired and living in a Chicago suburb, said he understood Mr. Trump’s points about how some protesters of white supremacists also appeared violent. He also wondered about the motivation behind tearing down historical statues and where it might end. Mr. Martin — who considers himself an independent — voted for Mr. Obama. He acknowledged that he has argued with black friends and family over his support for Mr. Trump. Mr. Martin said he believes that the president is not a racist. “He promised to do things his way, not the way they’ve always been done,” he said. Ultimately, he said, the events that have played out will force the nation to solve its lingering issues around race. “The place was divided even when Obama was in – we just didn’t talk about it,” he said. “You can look at it as being a good thing. We’re going to have to all come together. We all are living here. We need to talk about race, and this is bringing it out.” Don Benson, 45, a black Republican and small business owner who lives in suburban Chicago said he did not support President Trump “at all,” but did not take issue with the president’s claim that both sides shared blame for Charlottesville. “Without both sides, it probably would have never happened,” Mr. Benson said, adding he expects more racially charged protests. “As the world changes, it’s going to come out,” Mr. Benson said. “People are scared of what they don’t understand.” In Philadelphia, the [local newspapers]( carried stories of a city firefighter who posted an image of himself, wearing a Confederate hat and carrying a tiki torch. The firefighter has since apologized for the posting, which carried the caption, “Headed to Virginia.” The incident was on Natalie Solomon’s mind on Wednesday as she shopped at a supermarket. She said Mr. Trump has given license to such hateful displays. “Before it was under cover, they didn’t really exploit it the way they are doing now,” said Ms. Solomon, 60. “It’s like he’s allowing them to show all their prejudice now. We all live here and we should be able to live without fear.” And a few blocks from the White House in Washington, Todd Anderson, a 49-year-old real estate manager who was waiting in line for lunch at a food truck in Farragut Square, said Mr. Trump had “absolutely mishandled” the Charlottesville episode by failing to unite the country. “The office dictates that you act before your own principles, your own beliefs and you act on behalf of the nation,” Mr. Anderson said, “and I don’t think Trump did that at all.” Reporting was contributed by Monica Davey and Mitch Smith from Chicago; Sheryl Gay Stolberg from Washington; and Mariano Castillo from Atlanta. Edu Bayer for The New York Times [Swastikas, Shields and Flags]( By AINARA TIEFENTHÄLER AND NATALIE RENEAU We decode the symbols of hate that white supremacists, Nazis and alt-right groups display at their marches, including the violent gathering in Charlottesville, Va.  [Alt-Right, Alt-Left, Antifa: A Glossary of Extremist Language]( By LIAM STACK Terms like these are part of a far-right political lexicon that has become important to understanding American politics.  [Trump Asks, ‘What About the Alt-Left?’ Here’s an Answer]( By LINDA QIU In remarks about Charlottesville, President Trump falsely equated “alt-left” violence with the killing of Heather D. Heyer. [Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a news conference at the Justice Department this month.]( Zach Gibson for The New York Times [Hate Crime? How the Charlottesville Attack May Become a Federal Case]( By CHARLIE SAVAGE The announcement of a civil rights investigation puts the spotlight on what role the Justice Department may play in such cases under Attorney General Jeff Sessions. [George Washington, Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jefferson]( from left: Gilbert Charles Stuart; via Library of Congress; via Getty Images [Historians Question Trump’s Comments on Confederate Monuments]( By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER The president said removing Confederate monuments was “changing history.” But historians say that monuments don’t always tell the story we think. [Discord, a group chat app, was popular among far-right activists, including some of those involved in last weekend’s protest in Charlottesville, Va.]( Steve Helber/Associated Press [This Was the Alt-Right’s Favorite Chat App. Then Came Charlottesville.]( By KEVIN ROOSE Discord, a chat app for video game players, became a digital home for the alt-right before deciding to ban their chat rooms on Monday. [A group of counterprotesters who identified themselves as antifa, or anti-fascists, rested during a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday.]( Edu Bayer for The New York Times [Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville?]( By FARAH STOCKMAN The counterprotesters were united against white supremacy, but they advocated a wide array of beliefs, tactics and goals.  [How to Talk to Your Kids About Charlottesville]( By MARIA RUSSO In light of the deadly violence during a white supremacist rally in Virginia this weekend, here are books to help you discuss racism and anti-Semitism at home. [Hundreds of protesters voiced opposition to a planned speech by the right-wing writer and provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley in February.]( Noah Berger/European Pressphoto Agency [After Charlottesville Violence, Colleges Brace for More Clashes]( By DANA GOLDSTEIN With their legal options limited by the First Amendment, colleges are expecting a rush of controversial speakers and are making plans to control violence. ADVERTISEMENT [The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson at her home in Atlanta.] The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson at her home in Atlanta. Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times Connect with us. Join us on Wednesdays as we examine topics related to race and culture on The Times’s[Facebook page](. Our correspondents Rachel Swarns and John Eligon discussed the history of white supremacy and Charlottesville with Isabel Wilkerson, the author of “The Warmth of Other Suns,” and Joshua Rothman, a historian at the University of Alabama. [[Watch]( Like Race/Related? Tell us what you’d like to see by writing to racerelated@nytimes.com, and help us grow by forwarding our newsletter to five of your friends and have them sign up at: [( We want to hear from you. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [racerelated@nytimes.com](mailto:racerelated@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). Want more Race/Related? Follow us on Instagram, where we continue the conversation about race through stunning visuals. [Instagram]( [INSTAGRAM]( ADVERTISEMENT Around the Web Here are a few of the stories that we’re talking about, beyond The Times. 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