A small Unite the Right rally took place in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, August 12, 2018, one year after the deadly Charlottesville gathering. Among the people who joined organizer Jason Kessler and his group was Brandon, a 28 year old Black man from Bristow, Virginia, whose appearance drew attention from reporters on the scene.
Brandon told reporters he came out to support free speech. Speaking about Kessler, he said everybody has a right to speech and that he would not be there if he believed Kessler was a white supremacist. Journalist Caleb Ecarma shared on Twitter that Brandon was talking with Kessler and making that case, and ABC News Politics also documented Brandon marching and speaking alongside the rally leaders.
Kessler has denied being a white supremacist. According to ABC News, he said he agreed with Brandon’s comments and added that white people deserve to stand up for their rights like other groups do. Critics and many counter protesters strongly disagree with how Kessler describes himself and his movement.
Brandon also told reporters that he thinks Kessler is misunderstood and that if one group has a lesser right than another, then people are not united.
As for the rally itself, rain cut the event short, and counter protesters who showed up to oppose the group in Lafayette Park outnumbered the rally goers. In Charlottesville, several dozen people gathered quietly to remember Heather Heyer, who was killed during last year’s white supremacist rally.
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