There is no doubt now that Heather Heyer's legacy will continue past the Charlottesville protests. The activist's mother, Susan Bro, unveiled a new organization under Heyer's name during the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Aug. 27 following a speech by Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV.
Susan Bro paid tribute to her daughter and presented the "Best Fight against the System" award during the MTV VMAs.
Heyer was a civil rights activist who was killed when a car cashed into a counterprotestor crowd during the Charlottesville rally on Aug. 12.
Bro unveiled a new non-profit organization under her daughter's name, the Heather Heyer foundation, which will provide scholarships that encourage the youth to join Heather's fight against hatred.
"Only 15 days ago, my daughter, Heather, was killed as she protested racism," she said. "I miss her, but I know she's here tonight. I have been deeply moved to see people across the world, the whole world, find inspiration in her courage."
She then announced the nominees for the "Best Fight against the System" award which includes Alessia Cara, Big Sean, and John Legend.
Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV, a descendant of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, gave Bro's introduction and took the opportunity to give a statement against the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism, and hate," Lee said. He is a pastor at North Carolina's Bethany United Church of Christ.
"Today, I call on all of us with privilege and power to answer God's call to confront racism and white supremacy head-on," he added.
"We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women's March in January, and, especially, Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville."
