So how do we do that?

Easy peasy:

Hold events and rallies mindful that Americans with political ideologies different than your own will attend your events, and be inclusive of those people. If you actually want to fight this fight and win this fight, you’re going to have to.

That doesn’t mean be neutral, or stop fighting for what you believe in. It simply means be mindful of your message and the way it is perceived, especially when selecting speakers and topics.

If a person believes in a cause or idea, and then comes to an event or reaches out to others around them only to find that the majority of the group is espousing beliefs that do not seem connected — or that do not align with their own — this can make those individuals feel alone in a crowd and disconnected from the main body. This is not good, because it can dull the efficacy of the event in pushing people to work together towards a core shared goal, and destroy an opportunity for engagement and dialogue.

Although I have seen this echoed across the country in recent days, allow me to provide a direct example.

Recently, we held an event in my home city of Chattanooga (and you, dear reader, may have even attended it) to show solidarity for Charlottesville and for Heather Heyer, a victim of the terror attack there.

The event was billed as a candlelight vigil; as a way to honor and mourn her life and to come together over the events in Charlottesville.

It met that goal, but it also felt — to me, and some others who attended as I spoke with a few people in the crowd after the event ended — as if the event was heavily influenced by the agenda of one specific political organization. Some of the speakers spent the majority of their time on stage talking about other topics that were important to their agenda, but without taking the time to explain or relate them to the issues in Charlottesville. It can be difficult for some to relate the housing crisis to Nazis, the KKK and white supremacists murdering people in the streets — the stakes can seem radically different. So, if there were those present that were not previously exposed to this ideology (having those people there is a win!) these words may have felt inexplicably disconnected and, at some moments, tone-deaf.

Heather was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and after understanding that, singing Solidarity Forever at the vigil was a fitting tribute to her memory. However, one thing that I don’t believe was conveyed well at that event was the context, and this left some people scratching their heads.

Here’s the thing: The vigil was organized by an organization, and the tone was set by that organization. But not everyone who wants to fight the “Alt-Right” is a Democratic Socialist, and to those folks who are not Democratic Socialists, seeing a lack of political diversity or a seemingly disconnected focus from the stage may have unintentionally sent the wrong message. We have to remember that at these events, we aren’t always preaching to the choir, and one segment of the body politic alone can’t win this fight.

We need everyone on the left, and in the center, to win this fight. We need as many Republicans to loudly denounce fascists as possible, too.

So everyone should take a deep breath, and think when planning events and direct actions: Is the culture of whatever political organization or sect that you belong to more important to you than achieving your goals?

Hopefully not.