Why We Do Not Observe Moments of Silence for White Supremacists

A moment of silence is a powerful act. It is a collective pause, a communal gesture of respect, mourning, and reflection. We observe it for fallen heroes, for victims of tragedy, and for those who have contributed positively to our world. It is an honor.

This honor is not and will never be extended to white supremacists.

The reason is simple and non-negotiable: we do not honor people whose lives are dedicated to an ideology of racial hatred and violence. To do so would be a profound moral betrayal.

A moment of silence for a white supremacist is not a neutral act. It is an act of tribute. It morally equates the perpetrator with the victim. It blurs the line between hate and humanity. This is unacceptable.

White supremacy is not a political opinion. It is a violent ideology rooted in the belief in racial hierarchy. This belief has fueled centuries of oppression, including slavery, lynching, and systemic discrimination. It continues to inspire acts of domestic terrorism and mass violence against Black, Jewish, immigrant, and other minority communities.

To stand in silence for a white supremacist is to be silent in the face of that hatred. It is to offer a gesture of respect to a worldview that dehumanizes and threatens innocent people. Our silence must not be a gift to those who preach and practice violence.

For the communities targeted by this ideology, such an act would be a deep and painful violation. It would signal that the world considers the death of an oppressor worthy of the same reverence as the deaths of his victims. Our duty is to the targeted, the harassed, and the murdered. Our memory must honor them, not their persecutors.

The fight for justice requires moral clarity. It demands that we remember victims, condemn perpetrators, and learn the lessons of history. Honoring a white supremacist with a moment of silence betrays this clarity. It shifts focus from mourning the victims of hate to memorializing the architects of hate.

We must distinguish between remembering and honoring. We must remember white supremacists and their actions as a historical and present-day reality. We study their rhetoric and their networks as an act of vigilance and public defense.

But we do not honor them. Remembering is an act of education. Honoring is an act of endorsement.

There is no moral ambiguity here. A moment of silence is reserved for those who deserve our respect. White supremacists, by their commitment to an ideology of hatred, have forfeited any claim to it.