What does it mean to be anti-fascist or pro-fascist? And can we find our way back to a country that values democracy, non-violence, tolerance, and kindness?
As a post-war German who grew up hearing stories of my grandfather — a German History teacher imprisoned by the Nazis — and a mother who was part of a Red Cross nursing team that opened the concentration camps in 1945, I learned that fascism was the worst thing to happen to our country, Germany, and possibly to our entire world.
When I first heard that Antifa (anti-fascist) members were being called "terrorists" and seen as a new threat in the United States, I felt completely confused. Out of my puzzlement, I started to research what this term really means and how it has changed over time.