The University and the greater Charlottesville, Virginia, area in which it is located has taken it upon themselves to be defined not by academics, or history, or any other trait. Rather, those in charge of local government and University administration prefer to be defined by a single characteristic: the August 12, 2017, “Unite the Right” rally.
One week ago was the five-year anniversary of the rally, and Charlottesville residents and University students and alumni were reliably accosted by “never forget”-style messages, being told that everyone needed to “do more” to atone for what happened there.
