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Heather Heyer’s mom reveals powerful takeaway from Charlottesville tragedy

Posted at 12:30 PM, Sep 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-07 14:40:47-04

Susan Bro, the mother of the woman killed when a car slammed into a crowd of counter-protesters following the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, appears on the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Thursday at 3 p.m. on CBS 6.

Bro opens up about her daughter, Heather Heyer, and tells Ellen she’s on a mission to keep her daughter’s voice alive after hatred tried to silence her.

She shares her last conversation with Heather, which was eerily about Bro becoming the beneficiary on Heather’s insurance policy.

Bro said that while she is crushed over her daughter’s death, the tremendous amount of public support is helping her stay strong.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how much love around the world has lifted me up,” Bro said. “So often we’re in times of grief that people come to us and they give us hugs. So many people have been awesome to us… Even though we’ve lost Heather, our lives have been enriched in so many ways.”

Bro also says that she feels sorry for James Alex Fields Jr., who she believes thought hate was going to solve the world’s problems.

“All I keep thinking is how sad for his mother. She’s lost her son, too,” Bro said. “He’s lost every chance he has in life. There’s no life left for them now.”

Bro hopes the takeaway message from the tragedy is to be aware of what’s going on in the world and to know that doing the right thing never involves hate or violence.

“Heather’s message was always, ‘If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention,’” Bro said.

But Bro said that while a lot of people equate outrage with anger, it is important to remain positive.

“Anger doesn’t have to go to hate and to violence,” Bro said.

Ellen surprises Susan with a $50,000 donation to the Heather Heyer Foundation, courtesy of Shutterfly.

Miley Cyrus

Thursday’s show also features the first exclusive appearance by international superstar Miley Cyrus before the release of her highly anticipated new album.

Cyrus will perform the title track off her upcoming album “Younger Now.”

Ellen also chats with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt via live shot from Houston. J.J. started a fundraising campaign to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey which has currently raised over $7.5 million.

WTVR DAYTIME, AFTERNOON AND EVENING LINEUP

9 a.m. — “Virginia This Morning”
10 a.m. — “Let’s Make A Deal”
11 a.m. — “The Price Is Right”
12 p.m. — CBS 6 News at Noon
12:30 p.m. — “The Young and The Restless”
1:30 p.m. — “The Bold and The Beautiful”
2 p.m. — “The Talk”
3 p.m. — “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
4 p.m. — “Steve Harvey”
5 p.m. — CBS 6 News at 5 p.m.
5:30 p.m. — CBS 6 News at 5:30 p.m.
6 p.m. — CBS 6 News at 6 p.m.
6:30 p.m. — CBS Evening News
7 p.m. — CBS 6 News at 7 p.m.
7:30 p.m. — “Access Hollywood”