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Mom launches social justice foundation
for Charlottesville victim
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 [August 28, 2017]
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The mother
of a woman killed during clashes between white nationalists and
anti-racist protesters in Virginia said on Sunday she was launching a
foundation in her daughter's name to promote social justice issues.
Susan Bro's daughter, Heather Heyer, was mowed down by a car driven into
anti-racists who were protesting against a rally by white supremacists
in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12.
Bro, appearing at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday,
said she was setting up the Heather Heyer Foundation in honor of her
32-year-old daughter, a paralegal.
Separately, Paris Jackson, the 19-year-old daughter of the late
"Thriller" singer Michael Jackson, used her time as a presenter to decry
the events in Charlottesville in the most overtly political speech of
the awards show.
"Leave here tonight remembering that we must show these Nazi white
supremacist jerks in Charlottesville, and all over the country, that ...
we have zero tolerance for their violence, their hatred, and their
discrimination," Jackson urged the crowd.
Bro said she had been moved by the outpouring of public support
following Heyer's death. The foundation would provide scholarships to
people interested in studying social justice issues, she said.
She was on hand to present the MTV Video Music Award for the song for
the "Best Fight Against the System," a new award that recognizes
activism and social issues in music.
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Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, who was killed during a
rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month, speaks on
stage. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
To mark the setting up of the Foundation, MTV announced that all six
of the 2017 VMA nominees would win the 2017 statuette. The songs
ranged from issues such as body-shaming to immigration and the
environment.
The winners were:
Logic featuring Damian Lemar Hudson, “Black SpiderMan” (Race and
LGBTQ issues)
The Hamilton Mixtape, “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)”
(Immigration)
Big Sean, “Light” (Race)
Alessia Cara, “Scars To Your Beautiful” (Body image)
Taboo featuring Shailene Woodley, “Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL”
(Environment)
John Legend, “Surefire” (Immigration)
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Paul Tait)
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