SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands gathered in two separate rallies in Salt Lake City on Monday. Both rallies were to show support and unity for the people in Charlottesville, Virginia after a white supremacy rally met with protesters turned violent.
"We can stand as an example of light. I'll tell you we can fight hatred," said Republican Congresswoman Mia Love from the steps of the Utah State Capitol.
Love spoke at the rally, which was originally organized by the Utah GOP but quickly joined by the Utah Democratic Party. Love encouraged the crowd to recognize it was not a moment for political affiliations, but a moment to gather as Utahns and Americans.
"Hatred is taught....Where it is taught, by being an example, it can be reversed," Congresswoman Love told the crowd Monday afternoon.
At the City & County building in downtown Salt Lake City, a second rally organized by the Utah League of Native American Voters started a few hours later.
"It's about empowering the voices of many vulnerable communities," said Moroni Bennaly, Co-Founder of the Utah League of Native American Voters.
Louder and much more raucous than the gathering at the Capitol, the rally downtown remained largely peaceful and carried a similar message.
"We stand up for race equality and for loving everybody," said Becky Johnson, a woman from Holladay who joined the rally.
