Alex Thomas
On Tuesday night, Van Jones spoke to Constance — a woman who survived being hit by the infamous car attack in Charlottesville — during his “We Rise Against Hate” tour. As she moved onto the stage, still on crutches, she received continuous applause, and Jones asked the audience, “You ever met a hero? You ever seen a hero in real life?”
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Constance’s recollection of the Charlottesville white supremacists was chilling. She remembered, “One of them told me, ‘I really wish I could lynch you,’ and he blew me a kiss.” She continued, “I’ve never known that this sort of hatred [is out there].”
She also recalled getting hit by the car, saying, “I’ll never forget the sounds. … First I heard the car hitting people, and then I heard the screaming. I don’t remember getting struck, but I remember landing on the ground. And I remember hearing people saying, ‘Get up, get up he’s putting it in reverse.'”
Constance (or Conny) is not giving her last name, because she’s still fearful of retaliation. But when Jones asked if she planned to “let someone else carry this [fight against racism] forward,” she responded, “Absolutely not. I love this country too much.”
