Unity Daze: Why was a celebration of unity to counter the division and hate on A12 abandoned?

In 2019, the City launched an effort make the anniversary of a deadly white supremacist rally into a celebration of diversity. But the effort was eventually abandoned.

There was a logo, social media pages, a website, t-shirts and water bottles, a Community Action Committee, and months of events and programming. The City of Charlottesville also provided financial support for Unity Days in 2019, an effort to counter the second anniversary of a deadly white supremacist rally with a celebration of diversity. At a table gathering at Ix Park that encouraged people to have difficult and meaningful conversations, UVA President Jim Ryan declared it was time the “mend fences” and have long-overdue conversations.

“I had this inkling that, as often happens out of tragedy, there is possibility," said Ryan.

Unity Days featured music, arts, bold programming (the history of eugenics, segregation, and Black Face at UVA, as well as the racial and ethnic history of Charlottesville), and the City took suggestions for events from everyone in t…