With tears and defiant tributes, hundreds of purple-clad people have packed a Charlottesville theatre to remember the woman who was killed when a suspected white nationalist crashed his car into anti-racist demonstrators.
Heather Heyer, 32, a paralegal whom colleagues said was devoted to social justice, was killed after clashes on Saturday between white nationalists attending a "Unite the Right" gathering and counter-protesters.
James Fields, a 20-year-old Ohio man, has been charged with her murder.
"They tried to kill my child to shut her up. Well guess what? You just magnified her," Heyer's mother Susan Bro said to long and loud applause from those gathered at the city's 1930s-era Paramount Theater.
"I want this to spread. I don't want this to die. This is just the beginning of Heather's legacy."
In the crowd were Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, US Senator Tim Kane and Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer.
Many of those in attendance wore purple, her favourite colour, at the request of Heyer's family.
Hundreds of people held lit candles and sang songs in Charlottesville later on Wednesday night to remember Heyer at what was billed as a vigil for unity.
Fallout from Heyer's death and the street fights among protesters has become President Donald Trump's biggest domestic challenge.
Trump was assailed from across the political spectrum over his responses blaming "many sides" for the violence.
Residents of the usually quiet, left-leaning Virginia city were horrified by the violence they said was brought by outsiders.
White nationalists called Saturday's rally to protest against plans to remove a statue of General Robert E Lee, commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army in the US Civil War.
Amid concerns trouble could erupt outside Wednesday's memorial, a small group of anti-racist protesters wearing pink helmets and carrying baseball bats and purple shields stood quietly near the theatre.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump described Heyer as "beautiful and incredible ... a truly special young woman. She will be long remembered by all!"
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