The Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee has seen its fair share of American history. The center has provided training for social justice movements since 1932 and many civil rights leaders, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Rosa Parks have attended events at the Highlander Center.
But on March 29, a fire destroyed the center and now authorities in Tennessee say a white power symbol has been found on site.
From NBC News:
The symbol, which officials did not describe but said was connected to the white power movement, was discovered after the main office was completely destroyed in a fire last week, the Highlander Research and Education Center said in a news release Tuesday. It was spray-painted on the parking lot connected to the main office.
A release was posted on the Center’s Facebook page:
“While we do not know the names of the culprits, we know that the white power movement has been increasing and consolidating power across the South, across this nation, and globally.
“Since 2016, the white power movement has become more visible, and we’ve seen that manifest in various ways, both subtle and overt. They’ve targeted and exploited working class and cash-poor white communities searching to find a sense of belonging, dividing them from people who support efforts to improve the material conditions of all people. Their attempts to increase in size and scale impact the realities of our daily lives here because the majority of Black people in this country reside in southern states.”
See the video above from the Knoxville News Sentinel.