On Tuesday night, Van Jones spoke to Constance -- a woman who survived being hit in 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?"
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.’”
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Constance 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.”
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Watch the interview below.
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