Heather Heyer’s death should be “a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion," according to the mother of the 32-year-old killed during the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Speaking to HuffPost, Susan Bro says she’s proud of her daughter, a civil rights activist who was participating in a peaceful protest when she was mowed down by a car.
The protest was in response to a “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally held in Charlottesville. Heyer and other protesters were there to show their opposition to the racism. What HuffPost refers to as a “beautiful moment” soon turned to chaos when a man later identified as James Alex Fields allegedly drove his car into the crowd, killing Heyer and injuring 19 others.
Bro told HuffPost that her daughter, who worked as a paralegal, always had a strong sense of right and wrong. This statement is echoed by Heyer’s very last Facebook post. The image posted in October 2016 reads: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”
“Somehow I almost feel that this is what she was born to be, is a focal point for change,” Bro said.
According to The New York Times, Heyer’s friends describe her as “an advocate for the disenfranchised." Her boss, Alfred Wilson from the Miller Law Group, agreed, recalling that she often stood up “against any kind of discrimination."
Now, the outspoken activist has become a symbol of unity against racism, with Sen. Bernie Sanders calling on his supporters to honor her memory by continuing the struggle for equal rights.
The Trump Resistance Facebook group also used Heyer's mother’s words as a call to action.
Bro said she hopes her daughter’s death won’t become the focus of more hatred.
“Heather was not about hate, Heather was about stopping hatred. Heather was about bringing an end to injustice,” she told HuffPost.