The past few years had been all too quiet; it almost seemed as though America was progressing past its traumatic history of oppression. With Barack Obama in office, many claimed that the times were getting better and that racial and religious conflict were striking an all-time low. Unfortunately, America’s historic hate groups had only continued to operate outside of the public view, and their active existence was merely revealed in the recent months.

While hate groups in the United States have never fully dissipated, their voices have been amplified in the past few months. Donald Trump’s rise to power in 2016 established a platform for white supremacist leaders, as the Ku Klux Klan and several other groups openly endorsed Mr. Trump. During Mr. Trump’s campaign, the “alt-right” (a white supremacist group intending to restore the power of the white race) was born, where figures like Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulos acquired fame for their Nazi-reminiscent views. Then came an influx of anti-Semitic groups, and the number of total hate groups in the United States surged. Feel free to track the location and amount of hate groups on the “Hate Map,” where an astounding 917 hate groups have been established with 40 located in Pennsylvania alone (only five states have a greater amount than Pennsylvania). Here you can find established neo-Nazi, KKK, anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, white nationalist, neo-confederate, anti-immigrant, and even “general hate” groups.

The tension resulting from the conglomeration of hate groups seemingly peaked this summer when violence outbroke at a white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. White supremacists marched across the small college town, protected by their first amendment right to free speech. Injury, and even death, ensued, sparking smaller hate groups to rally in the days that followed. This massive display of hate caused many Americans to wonder how we let our nation deteriorate to such a harmful state, as even our own president placed blame on “all sides,” adding that there were “good people” attending the white supremacist gathering. This caused many Americans, including members of Congress and the national government, to lose faith in Donald Trump and his supporters.

Currently, high tension still remains, as no closure was offered following the Charlottesville gathering. Although America appears to have fallen silent on the topic, there’s no telling when the next white supremacist uprising will occur. We can only hope that, come the next white supremacist display, we’ll find a better response to the violence that ensues.

Hate Map: https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1vi5-pKU1wIVVrbACh2xswLKEAAYASAAEgILgPD_BwE

News Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40915356