Ten Ways 2010

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    TEN WAYS TOFIGHT HATE

    A C O M M U N I T Y R E S P O N S E G U I D E

    TEN WAYS TOFIGHT HATE

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    TODD ROBERTSON/GAINESVILLE TIMES

    Bias is a human condition, and American history is rife

    with prejudice against groups and individuals becauseof their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation orother differences. The 20th century saw major progressin outlawing discrimination, and most Americans todaysupport integrated schools and neighborhoods. But ste-reotypes and unequal treatment persist, an atmosphereoften exploited by hate groups.

    When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is consid-ered a hate crime. Race and religion inspire most hatecrimes, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents(eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) alsotear communities apart — and threaten to escalate into

    actual crimes.In recent years, the FBI has reported between 7,000and 8,000 hate crime incidents per year in the UnitedStates. But law enforcement ofcials acknowledge thathate crimes — similar to rape and family violence crimes— go under-reported, with many victims reluctant to goto the police. In addition, some police agencies are notfully trained to recognize or investigate hate crimes, andmany simply do not collect or report hate crime data.

    A denitive study by the U.S. Department of Justice in

    2005 estimated there are about 191,000 hate crime inci-dents per year.

    THE GOOD NEWS IS … All over the country people are ghting hate, standingup to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often thannot, when hate ares up, good people rise up against it— often in greater numbers and with stronger voices.

    This guide sets out 10 principles for ghting hate,along with a collection of inspiring stories of people whoworked to push hate out of their communities.

    Whether you need a crash course to deal with an

    upcoming white-power rally, a primer on the media or along-range plan to promote tolerance in your community, you will nd practical advice, timely examples and helpfulresources in this guide. The steps outlined here have beentested in scores of communities across the nation by awide range of human rights, faith and civic organizations.

    Our experience shows that one person, acting from con-science and love, is able to neutralize bigotry. Imagine, then,what an entire community, working together, might do.

    HATE IN AMERICA is a dreadful, daily constant. The dragging death of a black man in Jasper, Texas; the crucixion of a gay man in Laramie, Wyo.;and the stabbing death of a Latino immigrant in Long Island, N.Y., are not“isolated incidents.” They are eruptions of a nation’s intolerance.

    TEN WAYS

    TO FIGHT HATE

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    1. ACTDo something. Inthe face of hatred,

    apathy will be inter-preted as acceptance— by the perpetra-tors, the public and,worse, the victims.Decent people musttake action; if wedon’t, hate persists.

    page 4

    2. UNITECall a friend or co-worker. Organize

    allies from churches,schools, clubs andother civic groups.Create a diversecoalition. Includechildren, police andthe media. Gatherideas from everyone,and get everyoneinvolved.

    page 6

    3. SUPPORTTHE VICTIMSHate crime victimsare especially vul-nerable, fearful andalone. If you’re a vic-tim, report everyincident — in detail— and ask for help.If you learn abouta hate crime victimin your community,show support. Letvictims know youcare. Surround them

    with comfort andprotection.

    page 8

    4. DO YOURHOMEWORKAn informed cam-paign improvesits effectiveness.Determine if a hategroup is involved,and research its sym-bols and agenda.Understand the dif-ference between ahate crime and a biasincident.

    page 10

    5. CREATE ANALTERNATIVEDo not attend a haterally. Find anotheroutlet for anger andfrustration and forpeople’s desire to dosomething. Hold aunity rally or paradeto draw media atten-tion away from hate.

    page 12

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    6. SPEAK UPHate must beexposed and

    denounced. Helpnews organizationsachieve balanceand depth. Do notdebate hate groupmembers in con-ict-driven forums.Instead, speak upin ways that drawattention away fromhate, toward unity.

    page 14

    7. LOBBYLEADERSElected officials andother communityleaders can beimportant allies inthe ght againsthate. But some mustovercome reluctance— and others, theirown biases — beforethey’re able to take astand.

    page 16

    8. LOOKLONG RANGEPromote toler-ance and addressbias before anotherhate crime canoccur. Expand yourcommunity’s com-fort zones so youcan learn and livetogether.

    page 18

    9. TEACHTOLERANCEBias is learned early,usually at home.Schools can offerlessons of toleranceand acceptance.Sponsor an “I Havea Dream” contest.Reach out to youngpeople who may besusceptible to hategroup propagandaand prejudice.

    page 20

    10. DIGDEEPERLook inside your-self for prejudicesand stereotypes.Build your own cul-tural competency,then keep workingto expose discrimi-nation wherever ithappens — in hous-ing, employment,education and more.

    page 22

    A list of resourcesbegins on page 28

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    1. ACTDo Something. In the face of hatred, apathy will be interpreted asacceptance—by the perpetrators, the public and, worse, the vic-tims. Decent people must take action; if we don’t, hate persists.

    A HATE GROUP is coming to our town. What shouldwe do?”

    “I am very alarmed at hate crimes…What can I, as oneperson, do to help?”

    “I nd myself wanting to act, to show support for the victims, to demonstrate my anger and sorrow… But I don’tknow what to do or how to begin.”

    If you’ve opened this guide, you probably want to “dosomething” about hate. You are not alone. Questions likethese arrive daily at the Southern Poverty Law Center.When a hate crime occurs or a hate group rallies, goodpeople often feel helpless. We encourage you to act, forthe following reasons:

    Hate is an open attack on tolerance and decency. It must be countered with acts of goodness. Sitting home with your virtue does no good. In the face of hate, silence is

    deadly. Apathy will be interpreted as acceptance – by theperpetrators, the public and, worse, the victims. If leftunchallenged, hate persists and grows.

    Hate is an attack on a community’s health. Hate tears soci-ety along racial, ethnic, gender and religious lines. TheU.S. Department of Justice warns that hate crimes,more than any other crime, can trigger larger commu-nity conict, civil disturbances and even riots. For alltheir “patriotic” rhetoric, hate groups and their freelanceimitators are really trying to divide us; their views arefundamentally anti-democratic. True patriots ght hate.

    Hate escalates. Take seriously the smallest hint of

    hate — even what appears to be simple name-calling.The Department of Justice again has a warning: Slursoften escalate to harassment, harassment to threats andthreats to physical violence. Don’t wait to ght hate.

    ONE PHONE CALLWhen a cross was burned in the yard of a single mother ofPortuguese descent in Rushville, Mo., one person’s actionsset in motion a community uprising against hatred.

    “I have been asked many times since that night why

    I got involved,” Christine Iverson said. “The answer issimple. I was so upset after reading the article that Ihad to do something. So I got up and made a phone call.Everything else came from that moment of decision.”

    Iverson, a disaster response expert and minister forLutheran Social Services, called a friend involved in thechurch’s anti-racism program. Then she called the vic-tim. Then she called a ministerial alliance and asked to be put on the agenda. She went to the meeting with fourproposals: a letter to the editor, a prayer meeting, ierdistribution and a candlelight vigil. The alliance recom-mended all four, and Iverson was put in charge.

    The result was a gathering of 300 people, a speech bythe mayor, news accounts of the rally, and the formationof a unity committee within the church alliance. Morethan 150 people marched for the rst time in a Martin

    Luther King Jr. Day parade, and an essay contest wascreated on the theme “We Have a Dream.”“There is still a lot of work to be done,” Iverson said,

    “but we are beginning to do the work together.”

    DO SOMETHINGWhen hate happens, we are faced with two choices:

    Do nothing, and let hate go unchallenged.Or do something — rise up, speak up and stand up

    against hate.People across the country routinely choose the

    latter, making differences, small and large, in their

    communities.> A sixth-grade class in Morgantown, W.V., paintedover skinhead grafti on the outside wall of a conve-nience store. Their teacher had used the graffiti todiscuss hatred and violence. After watching “Not In OurTown,” a video of how Billings, Mont., fought hate, thechildren concluded that, left to stand, the grafti wouldconvey community apathy. They became role modelswithin Morgantown, with press coverage and congrat-ulations from the state attorney general.

    1. ACT1. ACT

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    > In 2002, a Sacramento, Calif.,man spearheaded a campaign to

    halt the sales of neo-Nazi clothingat Target stores in his community,sparking nationwide change. Aclothing line with “88” symbols — His the eighth letter of the alphabet,and 88 is white-power code for “HeilHitler” — had been shipped to 1,100Target stores nationwide. JosephRodriguez, a Sacramento Target cus-tomer, alerted the Southern PovertyLaw Center after being frustratedin his attempts to have the cloth-

    ing sales halted. Target eventuallystopped selling the items and apol-ogized for “any discomfort” caused by the “88” clothing, saying it “doesnot and will not tolerate discrimina-tion in any form.”

    > One woman, Ammie Murrayof Dixiana, S.C., is credited withrebuilding the tiny black congre-gation of St. John Baptist Church

    not once but twice after racist van-dals destroyed it in 1985 and burned

    it to the ground in 1995. Discouragedand exhausted after the second inci-dent and with continuous personalthreats to her safety, the 65-year-oldwhite woman nonetheless red up a1,000-person, multiracial work forcethat presented the congregation witha new church in November 1998.

    > When a white-power rock con-cert was announced in TraverseCity, Mich., a group of citizens cre-ated “Hate-Free TC.” In a day-long

    seminar, human rights experts edu-cated local people about neo-Naziskinheads, their racist music andtheir connection to an internationalmovement that includes Nazis, whitesupremacists and the ChristianIdentity church. They later held analternative rock concert, and thepublicity forced cancellation of thewhite-power gathering.

    What Can You Do?

    Pick up the phone. Callfriends and colleagues. Hosta neighborhood or commu-nity meeting. Speak up inchurch. Suggest some action.

    Sign a petition. Attend avigil. Lead a prayer.

    Repair acts of hate-fueledvandalism, as a neighbor-hood or a community.

    Use whatever skills andmeans you have. Offer yourprint shop to make iers.Share your musical talents ata rally. Give your employeesthe afternoon off to attend.

    Be creative. Take action.Do your part to ght hate.

    5

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    2. UNITECall a friend or co-worker. Organize allies from churches,

    schools, clubs and other civic groups. Create a diverse coalition.Include children, police and the media. Gather ideas from

    everyone, and get everyone involved.

    OTHERS SHARE YOUR instinct for tolerance. There ispower in numbers in the ght against hate. Asking for helpand organizing a group reduces personal fear and vulner-

    ability, spreads the workload and increases creativity andimpact. Coalitions for tolerance can stand up to — and iso-late — organized hate groups. You and your allies can helpeducate others as you work to eradicate hate.

    A hate crime often creates an opportunity for a com-munity’s rst dialogue on race, homophobia or prejudice.It can help bridge the gap between neighborhoods andlaw enforcement. More people than we imagine want todo something; they just need a little push. As the creatorof Project Lemonade found, “There are plenty of peopleof good conscience out there.”

    FIRST STEPS …Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas:

    > Call the circle around you,including family, neighbors, co-workers, people in your church,synagogue or civic club. Meetinformally at rst.

    > Call on groups that are likelyto respond to a hate event, includ-ing faith alliances, labor unions,teachers, women’s groups, uni- versity facult ies, fair housing

    councils, the “Y” and youthgroups. Make a special effortto involve businesses, schools,houses of worship, politicians,children and members of minor-ity and targeted groups.

    > Also call on local lawenforcement officials. Workto create a healthy relation-ship with local police; working

    together, human rights groups and law enforcement of-cials can track early warning signs of hate brewing in acommunity, allowing for a rapid and unied response.

    > Go door-to-door in the neighborhood targeted by ahate group, offering support and inviting participationin a rally, candlelight vigil or other public event. Put upribbons or turn on porch lights as symbolic gestures.Declare a “Hate Free Zone” with a poster contest and aunity pledge. Set up a booth in a local mall to collect sig-natures on the pledge. Buy an ad to publicize the pledgeand the contest winners.

    > Fashion an appropriate, local response, but gatherideas from other towns that have faced hate events. A goodstarting point is a group viewing of the PBS video Not inour Town. It tells the story of an inspiring ght against

    white supremacists in Billings, Mont. (See story, page 9.)

    Four children meet at a Community Cousinsgathering, designed to repair rifts in a dividedcommunity in Southern California.

    DIANE BOCK

    2. UNITE2. UNITE

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    PROJECT LEMONADEBILL AND LINDY SELTZER, aJewish couple in Springeld, Ill.,were frustrated that the FirstAmendment gave neo-Nazis theright to march in public rallies.So they devised a way to turnhate’s sourness into somethingsweet. Project Lemonade, nowused in dozens of communitiesacross the country, raises money

    for tolerance causes by collect-ing pledges for every minute of ahate-group event.

    The Seltzers organized theirrst Project Lemonade dur-ing a 1994 Ku Klux Klan rally inSpringeld. Using school equip-ment, they copied and mailedthousands of pledge iers. Thenthey held a press conference toannounce the unique event. Theyraised $10,000. When People

    magazine picked up the story,the idea spread nationwide.

    The Seltzers created a kit forother communities that includedpractical advice: “Schedule anorganizational meeting withcommunity leaders, arrange fora local telephone number andanswering machine, recruit vol-unteers, raise seed money, carrya supply of cover letters andpass them out. Involve the police.

    Invite the media. Schedule pressconferences. Try to be inter-viewed for radio and TV talkshows. Keep Project Lemonade inthe media as much as possible.”

    Lindy also warned would-beorganizers to expect hate calls.“Ignore them. Stay positive andrespectful. Encourage people to

    stay away from the Klan rally;they are looking for a ght. TheKlan will leave, and the commu-nity will have the last say. It willbe a positive one.”

    In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, forexample, the $28,000 raisedduring one white-supremacistrally supported human rightscauses. In Boyertown, Pa., ProjectLemonade so irritated the Klanthat the hate group threatened tosue organizers for raising money“on our name.” Money raisedthere went for library books onblack history.

    DAVID DUKEAND ERACISMAFTER FORMER KLAN LEADERDavid Duke’s 1991 run for governorshook up Louisiana, The Times-

    Picayune of New Orleans publishedan in-depth series on race relations,“Together Apart,” which includedhundreds of letters and phonecomments from readers.

    Bookstore owner Rhoda Faust,a white woman, wrote: “Let’s thinkof ways to let each other knowthat we love and respect oneanother as God’s fellow creatures.”Brenda Thompson, a black woman,responded, calling for “some sort of

    symbol, something to let the worldknow that all of us aren’t infectedwith … hate.”

    The two met for coffee, and thegroup “Erace” was born.

    Their slogan, “Eracism — all col-ors with love and respect,” is nowcarried on more than 30,000 bum-per stickers, distributed by Erace.

    Said Faust: “Imagine a city whereevery car displays the sticker. Thinkof the message that would send.Think of how blacks and whiteswould feel in such a place.”

    The 200-member group alsosponsors regular, candid discus-sions on race.

    The efforts of Faust andThompson were recognized bythen-President Bill Clinton, whoincluded their group in a “PromisingPractices” list as part of his Initiativeon Race.

    EVERY SECONDCOUNTSKEITH ORR, an activist in AnnArbor, Mich., used the ProjectLemonade model to create an“Every Second Counts” campaign

    in response to a 2001 rally by theviciously anti-gay Fred Phelps.

    Orr knew a direct confron-tation would actually add fuelto Phelps ery hate speech, soinstead, he sought pledges tosupport a local gay-advocacygroup. With pennies and dol-lars coming from as far away asCalifornia and New Hampshire,Orr raised nearly $7,500.

    Orr then helped people in

    Madison, Wis., organize a simi-lar response to Phelps, raising$6,000 more for the local Gay,Lesbian and Straight EducationNetwork.

    As Orr said later: “Fred Phelpshimself may as well have writtenthe check. It was his bigotry thatpushed people to give.”

    *Big Stories/Little Seeds

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    3. SUPPORT THE VICTIMSHate crime victims are especially vulnerable, fearful and alone.If you’re a victim, report every incident—in detail—and ask for

    help. If you learn about a hate crime victim in your community,show support. Let victims know you care. Surround them

    with comfort and protection.

    VICTIMS OF HATE CRIMES feel terribly alone and

    afraid. They have been attacked simply for being whothey are — their skin color, their ethnicity, their sexualorientation. Silence amplies their isolation; it also tac-itly condones the act of hate. Victims need a strong, quickmessage that they are valued. Small acts of kindness — aphone call, a letter – can help.

    Often, hate attacks include vicious symbols: a burningcross, a noose, a swastika. Such symbols evoke a historyof hatred. They also reverberate beyond individual vic-tims, leaving entire communities vulnerable and afraid.

    And because they may fear “the system,” some victimsmay welcome the presence of others at the police station or

    courthouse. Local human rights organizations often pro- vide such support, but individuals also may step forward.With that in mind, consider some of the many ways

    individuals and communities have risen up to support victims of hate:

    > As white supremacists marched in Coeur d’Alene,Idaho, a number of families invited black and Latinoneighbors to dinner. “Just as a way of saying, ‘You arewelcome,’” said one host.

    > In Montgomery, Ala., after hate mail and nails werethrown at black families in a formerly all-white neigh- borhood, a woman left a rose and a card, telling them,

    “You are not alone.”> When vandals spray-painted racial slurs, swastikasand references to the Ku Klux Klan on the driveway andhome of a resident in a small Florida town near Tampa,neighbors showed up with a pressure-washer and paintto remove and cover up the hateful grafti.

    > After white supremacists harassed a Sacramentofamily, a labor union provided round-the-clock security.

    > At Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., admin-istrators moved nal exams for harassed black students

    to a safer location.

    > When a church in Manchester, N.H., was vandal-ized with racist and hateful graffiti, other houses ofworship showed solidarity by leaving their lights on allnight, all across town. “An attack against your church isan attack against all our congregations,” Rabbi ArthurStarr explained.

    Rockford, Ill., residents organized a "Not in Our Town" rallyto focus attention on intergroup tension. Supporters signed apetition to oppose bigotry and promote tolerance.

    HOLLY MCQUEEN/ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

    3. SUPPORT THE VICTIMS3. SUPPORT THE VICTIMS

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    IF YOU ARE A VICTIMWe urge hate victims to report crimes to police.

    Only you can decide whether to reveal your identity.But many victims have found the courage to lend theirnames to ghting hate. If you decide to speak up:

    Report every incident. If you are a targeted minority,harassment could continue. What began as egg throw-ing at ve black families in rural Selbrook, Ala., escalatedfor 18 months until hate mail made it a federal offense.The story made the news, police patrolled and harass-ment declined.

    Speak to the press. Your story, with a frank discussionof the impact on your family life, can be a powerful moti- vator to others. Copycat crimes are possible, but rare.More likely, you’ll be encouraged by love and support. InWatertown, N.Y., a black minister talked about the vul-gar hate mail he received. His community held a special

    unity rally. “Denying that racism exists, or not talkingabout it, will not cause it to go away,” he said.Research your legal rights. After enduring racial slurs,

    slashed tires, broken windows, the wounding of theirdog, and a six-foot burning cross planted in their yard by their white neighbor, Andrew Bailey and Sharon

    Henderson of Chicago led suit against the perpetra-tor. A federal jury awarded them $720,000.

    NOT IN OUR TOWNChristmas was just around the corner in 1993 when

    Billings, Mont., entered a white-supremacist hell.Jewish graves were vandalized. Native Americanhomes were sprayed with epithets like “Die Indian.”Skinheads harassed a black church congregation. Butthese events received scant notice — until 5-year-oldIsaac Schnitzer’s holiday peace was shattered.

    On Dec. 2, a chunk of cinder block broke his upstairswindow. The window displayed a menorah, a row ofcandles lighted at Hanukkah. Responding police urgedhis mother, Tammie Schnitzer, to take down all theirJewish symbols. She refused and said so boldly in anews story.

    As if suddenly aware of hate in its midst, Billingsresponded. Vigils were held. Petitions were signed. Apainters’ union led 100 people in repainting houses.Within days, the town erupted in menorahs — pur-chased at K-mart, photocopied in church ofces andprinted in the Billings Gazette — displayed in thousandsof windows.

    Mrs. Schnitzer took her son for a ride through townto look at all the menorahs.

    “Are they Jewish, too?” a wide-eyed Isaac asked.“No,” she said, “they’re friends.”Rick Smith, the manager of a local sporting goods

    store, was so moved by events that he changed the salespitch on his street marquee. Instead of an ad for schoolletter jackets, he mounted, in foot-high letters: “Not inOur Town. No Hate. No Violence. Peace on Earth.”

    The marquee got national exposure, and “Not in OurTown” became a famous slogan. It went on to title aHollywood movie, a PBS special, a school musical anda tolerance movement in more than 30 states.

    Not in Our Town, with its forceful message to hategroups, is now spread by The Working Group, a non-prot production company that produced the video, Not In Our Town . Subsequent videos show what communi-

    ties around the country have done to ght hate.Margaret MacDonald was among those who ignitedthe anti-hate movement in Billings. A decade after theevents, she still is moved.

    “The story of Billings embodies how people believethe world ought to be,” she said. “It touches on First Amendment responsibilities (and) civic responsibility;it’s about multiple faiths nding ways to validate eachothers’ liberties and freedoms. It’s a transformation of violence and hate into peace-making.”

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK An informed campaign improves its effectiveness. Determine if

    a hate group is involved, and research its symbols and agenda.Understand the difference between a hate crime and a bias incident.

    AP WIDE WORLD PHOTO

    ERUPTIONS OF HATE generally produce one of tworeactions: apathy (“It’s just an isolated act by somekooks”) or fear (“The world is out of control”). Beforereacting, communities need accurate information about

    those who are spouting hate.The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks more than900 organized U.S. hate groups, virtually all whitesupremacists but including black separatist groups aswell. Some are tiny — a handful of men — but armedwith a computer, e-mail and a website, their reach can be immense, their message capable of entering a child’sprivate bedroom.

    In their literature and websites, hate groups rail atgrowing immigrantpopulations that willmake whites a minor-

    ity in this century. Likesome of their broth-ers-in-arms in militiagroups, they also spreadfears of losing controlof America to a “OneWorld Government”dominated by Jewish bankers, multinationalcorporations and theUnited Nations. Moreoften than not, mem-

    bers of hat e gro ups blame scapegoats fortheir personal failures,low self-esteem, angerand frustration. Theyfrequently act underthe inuence of alcoholor drugs, recruiting dis-affected teens throughmusic and other means.

    Though their views may be couched in code words, mem- bers of hate groups typically share these extremist views:

    > They want to limit the rights of certain groups.> They want to divide society along racial, ethnic or

    religious lines.> They believe in conspiracies.> They try to silence any opposition.> They are antigovernment and fundamentalist. And yet, most hate crimes are not committed by mem-

    bers of hate groups. The SPLC estimates that fewer than5 percent of hate crimes can be linked to members of hategroups. The majority appear to be the work of “freelance”perpetrators, typically young males who are looking for

    Fred Phelps brings his vile anti-gay messages tocommunities across America.

    4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

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    thrills, defending turf or trying to blame someone elsefor their troubles. Rarely are they acting from deeplyheld ideology; instead, they attack targeted groups ran-domly, choosing whoever is convenient. While these young men act independently, it is hate groups — mix-ing stereotypes with a culture of violence — that often

    provide the dehumanizingrhetoric that may fostersuch attacks.

    WHEN HATE HITS YOURDOORSTEPIn 2003, Rebecca Hinesw a l k e d o u t o f h e rMontgomery, Ala., hometo find hate at her door-step. It arrived in a wayhate often arrives: an

    anonymous flier from aknown hate group.The leaets, placed in

    plastic bags and weighteddown with everythingfrom pennies to cat litter,were filled with racista n d a n t i - i m m i g r a n tpropaganda. They echoedthe 14-word anthem ofmany white supremacistgroups: “We must secure

    the ex is tence of ourpeople and a future forwhite children.”

    Hines used the inci-dent to educate her twopre-teen sons about hategroups.

    “This is an ugly thingto happen, but it is a wayto start that dialogue with your kids, too,” she said.“It’s better than waiting

    for them to find out ontheir own.”Hines also brought the

    leaeting incident to theattention of her neighbor-hood association.

    “It made me sick to mystomach,” said anotherneighbor, Danna Goodson.Goodson picked up leaets

    from other neighbors’ yards and called police. “I just feltdirty after looking at it; I wanted to go and wash myhands.”

    Leaeting is a common practice of U.S. hate groups.It happens across the country, in cities small and large.Typically, no laws are broken. But it’s important to

    report the incidents topolice so they can trackhate groups.

    Joe Roy of the SouthernPoverty Law Center ’sIn te l l igence Pro ject ,which tracks U.S. hategroups, said leafletingis a form of recruitmentthat can lead to new hate-group chapters forming ina community.

    “By keeping up withhow often a group is leaf-leting, and what group isdistributing, authoritiescan get an idea of howactive a group or chap-ter is in the area, and howsophisticated,” Roy said.

    Roy and others advisetaking the following steps:

    > Contact city ofcialsabout the incident. They

    can denounce the hateactivity publicly.> L e a r n c o m m o n

    hate-group slogans andsymbols, so you can recog-nize any further activity.

    > Talk to your children, your neighbors and othersabout the incident, shar-ing what you know aboutthe hate groups involved.Use the incident as an

    opportunity to reinforce your own values abouttolerance and acceptance.

    > Offer addit ionalsupport to targeted neigh- bors. If the leaets focuson specific residents orhomes, create neighbor-hood-watch teams, hold vigils and show solidarity.

    What's a Hate Crime?A hate crime must meet two criteria:

    > A crime must happen, such as physical assault,intimidation, arson or vandalism; and

    > The crime must be motivated, in whole or in part,by bias.

    The list of biases included in hate crime statutesvaries. Most include race, ethnicity and religion.Some also include sexual orientation, genderand/or disability. In some cases, these statutesapply only to specic situations, such as housingdiscrimination.

    As you respond to a hate crime, check spe-cic statutes in your area, then consider workingto add missing categories, such as protections forpeople who are gay, lesbian or transgender.

    WHAT’S A BIAS INCIDENT?

    A bias incident is conduct, speech or expressionthat is motivated by bias or prejudice but doesn’tinvolve a criminal act.

    WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?Hate crimes, if charged and prosecuted, will bedealt with in the court system. They typically carryenhanced penalties, such as longer sentences.

    Bias incidents occur with no clear path or proce-dure for recourse.

    Both, however, demand unied and uninch-ing denouncement from individuals, groups and

    entire communities.

    WHAT’S THE IMPACT?Hate crimes and bias incidents don’t just victimizeindividuals; they torment entire communities.

    When someone scrawls threatening graf-ti targeting Asian Americans, for example, theentire community of Asian Americans may feelfrightened and unsafe, as may members of otherethnic or racial groups.

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    5. CREATE AN ALTERNATIVEDo not attend a hate rally. Find another outlet for anger and frus-tration and for people’s desire to do something. Hold a unity rally

    or parade to draw media attention away from hate.

    HATE HAS A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT. Courtshave routinely upheld the constitutional right of theKu Klux Klan and other hate groups to hold rallies andsay what they want. Communities can restrict group

    movements to avoid conicts with other citizens, buthate rallies will continue. Your efforts should focus onchanneling people away from hate rallies and towardtolerance.

    DO NOT ATTEND A HATE RALLY As much as you’d like to physically show your oppositionto hate, shout back or throw something, confronta-tions serve only the perpetrators. They also burden lawenforcement with protecting hate-mongers against oth-erwise law-abiding citizens.

    > In Memphis, Tenn., a riot broke out between

    Klansmen and counter-demonstrators on Martin LutherKing Jr.’s birthday. More than 100 police threw tear gascanisters and arrested 20 anti-Klan demonstrators whileprotecting the Klan’s right to rally and speak.

    > Ann Arbor, Mich., was stung by a rally in which 300police ofcers failed to protect the Klan from a chantingcrowd that threw rocks and sticks, hurting seven police-men and destroying property. The Klan members wereable to stand on the First Amendment, surrounded bywhat one of their leaders called “animal behavior.”

    > A 25-minute march by the Aryan Nations through15 blocks of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, cost the state, county

    and city more than $125,000 for public safety. MayorSteve Judy described this as money spent to protect freespeech. “But we could have taken the money and done alot for human rights with it.”

    A WORLD OF IDEASEvery act of hatred should be met with an act of loveand unity.

    Many communities facing a hate group rally have heldalternative events at the same hour, some distance away,

    emphasizing strength in community and diversity. Theyhave included picnics, parades and unity fairs featuringfood, music, exhibits and entertainment. These eventsgive people a safe outlet for the frustration and anger

    they want to vent. As a woman at a Spokane human rightsrally put it, “Being passive is something I don’t want todo. I need to make some kind of commitment to humanrights.”

    > When the Klan announced plans to clean upshoulders and ditches along a stretch of road under the Adopt-a-Highway program in Palatine, Ill. — and of-cials realized they couldn’t stop it — local teenagersooded City Hall with so many applications that theyclaimed every inch of highway earmarked for the pro-gram and pushed the Klan onto a waiting list. “Truth andlove and kindness and caring won out over hate,” Mayor

    Rita Mullins said. “It restored my faith in humanity.”> Pulaski, Tenn., the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klanin 1866, closed its doors to white supremacists attempt-ing to rally there. Racists found the town closed for business, including McDonald’s, the grocery store andWal-Mart. “They couldn’t nd a place to get a hamburgeror even go to the bathroom,” the mayor said. In subse-quent years, the Klan rally became a joke, and even themedia got bored with it. “Last year no one came,” themayor said. “The year before that, the only TV was theComedy Channel.”

    > When the Klan came to Indianapolis, local muse-

    ums, the state capitol and other attractions openedtheir doors to citizens for free. Community leaders helda youth rally in a ballroom. A huge coalition, includingthe mayor and the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, placed afull-page ad in The Indianapolis Star deploring the Klan.

    AN ALTERNATIVE TO HATE IN MAINEOn Oct. 1, 2002, the mayor of Lewiston, Maine, sent anopen letter to the town’s growing Somali community.He told them the town was “maxed-out, physically and

    5. CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE5. CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE

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    emotionally” from what the press began to call a Somali“invasion.”

    By that point, about 1,100 Somali immigrants lived inLewiston, a city of about 36,000 residents.

    One Somali resident told a local newspaper he wasshocked by the sentiment in the mayor’s letter. “Hethinks he’s mayor for only white residents,” MohamedDriye said. “He’s not only their mayor. He’s our mayor,too.” Others, in a letter, described the mayor as “an ill-informed leader … bent toward bigotry.”

    Two hate groups — the National Alliance and what

    was then known as the World Church of the Creator— saw an opportunity for “outreach.” They planned aJanuary 2003 rally in Lewiston, hoping to attract dis-gruntled, anti-immigrant residents. Their own “open”letter to the town began with this greeting: “Dear fel-low white people.”

    Somalis and their many supporters in Lewistonplanned an alternative event. Local churches, students anddozens of concerned residents joined the effort.

    Working with hate group experts, including the

    Southern Poverty Law Center, the group chose not toengage the hate groups directly, but rather to send a sep-arate, stronger message against hate.

    “We invited everyone together … and brought everyoneunder one umbrella,” the Rev. Mark Schlotterbeck said.

    Added James Carignan, a professor and dean at BatesCollege, referring to the planned hate rally: “This is notwho we are, and we have to make sure people know that.”

    The umbrella group, calling itself the Many and OneCoalition, planned teach-ins and a diversity rally for thesame day, in a different location.

    The result? More than 4,000 attended the Many andOne event, while fewer than 100 showed up at the hate rally.Ziad Hamzeh later made a lm about Lewiston; The

    Letter has played at lm festivals across the country,drawing praise and garnering awards.

    “I went to Lewiston thinking, ‘What do these peoplehave to teach me?’ And they taught me a lot,” Hamzehsaid. “They taught me to be a better American, a betterhuman being. I was able to relearn and re-experienceagain what America is.”

    13

    Somali girls Farhiya Ali, left, and HibatShrif, walk with hundreds of communitysupporters in Lewiston, Maine.

    AP WIDE WORLD PHOTO

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    14

    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    6. SPEAK UPHate must be exposed and denounced. Help news organizations

    achieve balance and depth. Do not debate hate group members inconict-driven forums. Instead, speak up in ways that draw atten-

    tion away from hate, toward unity.

    GOODNESS HAS A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT, too.We urge you to denounce hate groups and hate crimesand to spread the truth about hate’s threat to a plural-

    istic society. An informed and unied community is the best defense against hate. You can spread tolerance through church bulletins,

    door-to-door iers, websites, local cable TV bulletin boards, letters to the editor and print advertisements.Hate shrivels under strong light. Beneath their neo-Naziexteriors, hate purveyors are cowards, surprisingly sub- ject to public pressure and ostracism.

    > When the 20-year-old “national leader” of the AryanNations in Canada was exposed by the Prince George

    Citizen, he resigned and closed his website. “I don’t wantto have this plastered all over the place,” he said.

    > Floyd Cochran, a former recruiter for the Aryan

    Nations, recalls the night he and founder RichardButler traveled to tiny Sandpoint, Idaho, to intimidate ahuman relations meeting. When they found 300 people,they were intimidated themselves. “I didn’t go back toSandpoint because of the turnout,” Cochran said.

    DEALING WITH MEDIASome tips for an effective media campaign:

    > News outlets cover hate crimes and groups. Don’tkill the messenger. Consider hate news a wake-up call,

    revealing tension in thecommunity. Attack the

    problem. Reporters willthen cover you, too.> Name a press contact

    for your group. This keepsthe message consistent andallows the press to quicklyseek comment or reactionto events. Invite the pressto all your meetings.

    > The media like newshooks and catchy phrases,such as “Hate Free Zone.”

    Propose human-intereststories, such as the impactof hate on individuals. Usesigns, balloons or otherprops that will be attractiveto media photographers.

    > Educate reporters,editors and publishersabout hate groups, theirsymbols and their effect on

    College students joined manyothers to protest a Klanmarch in Sharpsburg, Md.

    AP WIDE WORLD PHOTO

    6. SPEAK UP6. SPEAK UP

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    victims and communities. Put them in touch with hateexperts like the Southern Poverty Law Center. Urge edi-torial stands against hate.

    > Criticize the press when it falls short. Remind edi-tors that it is not fair to focus on 20 Klansmen when 300

    people attend a peace rally.> Do not debate white supremacists or other hategroup members on conict-driven talk shows or publicforums. Your presence lends them legitimacy and pub-licity, they use code words to cover their hate beliefs,and they misinterpret history and Bible verses in a man-ner that is difcult to counter under time constraints.

    A TALE OF TWO TOWNSWhen the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in Sharpsburg,Md., just nine Klan supporters showed up, “marching”two blocks, behind a police barrier, then leaving on the

    same rented Trailways bus they drove in on.Meanwhile, many others — more than 30 times thenumber of Klansmen marching up Hall Street — spokeup in much louder and more effective ways.

    About 40 area groups and businesses planned sev-eral alternative events in Sharpsburg and neighboringKeedysville — all this from a combined population offewer than 1,400 people.

    About 60 people attended a morning interfaith ser- vice. More than 100 turned out for an outdoor concertthat afternoon, near Sharpsburg. More than 40 youngpeople, ages 10 to 20, gathered at a local pizzeria. And

    more than 100 others attended a celebration of diver-sity in Keedysville.“The Klan has a First Amendment right to free

    speech, but I also have the right to say that’s not whatI believe in, that’s not what my community stands for,”said Amanda Reed of Sharpsburg, who helped organizethe alternative events.

    Others also spoke out against the Klan. A localWafe House used its letter-board sign to send a mes-sage: “Teach love not war.” A red Ford Explorer carriedanother sign: “Hate is not welcome here.” And every-where people wore specially made T-shirts that said,

    “We believe in love, not hate in Washington County.”The gatherings earned local and regional press cover-age that provided a balance to the hate message of the Klan.

    While the single day was a success, many residentssaid long-term change — change that would neverallow the Klan to feel welcome in either town again— is the ultimate goal.

    As organizer Jerry Randell, explained: “If thingskeep happening after this day, that’s how we’ll knowwe’re successful.”

    A Message forthe MediaShare this with media contacts you know, orsimply photocopy it and mail it to an editor,anchor, columnist or reporter:

    A newsroom that covers race issues thoroughlyand regularly sets an agenda for the community.Nuanced and thoughtful coverage — rather thanshallow, knee-jerk stories or images — deepens ourcommunity’s discussion and understanding of race.

    CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

    > The masked, mysterious Klansman, like his burningcross, is an emotional image loaded with historicalassociations. Don’t let this cliché control the story.Include a serious look at the Klan’s numbers andinuence, its involvement in hate crimes, and thehypocrisy of its pseudo-Christian message.

    > Don’t allow hate groups to masquerade as white-pride civic groups. In their literature and on theirwebsites, they denigrate certain scapegoats, typi-cally people of color and Jews. Gather commentsfrom local police, state human rights commissions,

    the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Anti-Defamation League.

    > Klan and other white supremacist rallies representthe outer margin of American society. No meaningfuldialogue on race can occur when it is framed by suchextremes. Seek deeper, more thoughtful coverage ofissues of race and other -isms.

    AS A FINAL THOUGHT, WE ASK YOU TO:Take hate crimes seriously and report them promi-nently. Consider an annual “race report card.” Give

    reporters time to cover the Klan and other hategroups in depth, beyond an annual parade. Cover theimpact of hate on victims and other members of tar-get groups. Become an activist against hate, just asyou are against crime. Sponsor a forum or other com-munity journalism event tied to these issues. Anddon’t miss the “good news” as ordinary people strug-gle with homegrown ways to promote tolerance.

    You are part of our community, and you must bepart of our ght against hate.

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    encouragement for an alarming wave of hate crimesagainst Arab Americans, Muslims, Sikhs and citizens ofSouth Asian descent.

    > When Nashville-area minister Maury Davis calledIslam “the evil religion” and “the greatest threat to the American way of life” in early 2002, the local Islamic com-munity quickly organized. Local Christian leaders alsostepped up as allies, making a public stand against hate.

    MORE THAN THEY ASKED FORWhen a group of residents in Montgomery, Ala., joinedforces to counter the burgeoning post-9.11 backlashagainst Arab and Muslim Americans, they had no ideatheir efforts would result in the appointment of the rsthate crimes ofcer in Alabama history.

    “All that we had really hoped for was to get some sortof public statement from local leaders about the back-lash,” said Trish O’Kane, secretary for the Alliance forCivility and Tolerance.

    Instead, their plea to local leaders was so persuasive thatwithin hours of meeting with ACT members, Police ChiefJohn Wilson named the state’s rst hate crimes ofcer.

    ACT met with Chief Wilson to voice concerns aboutseveral local hate crimes against Muslims. The group alsoexpressed their worry that other bias-motivated crimeswere going unreported and undocumented.

    “Security was high on the agenda, and there was aproblem that needed to be solved,” said O’Kane. “I think

    (the police) were glad to see people walking through thedoor who were willing to help and who could providethem with some information about the problem.”

    Before meeting with ACT, said Chief Wilson, “It washard for us to get something off the ground, becausethere was nothing else like it in this area. We didn’t reallyknow what we needed.”

    Now, after community involvement, the MontgomeryPolice Department has one full-time hate crimes ofcerand another ofcer trained as a backup.

    17

    Mourners gather at thestate Capitol to remem-ber the life of Billy JackGaither, a gay man beatento death in rural Alabama.

    VALERIE DOWNES

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    18

    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    8. LOOK LONG RANGEPromote tolerance and address bias before another

    hate crime can occur. Expand your community’s comfort zonesso you can learn and live together.

    HATE USUALLY DOESN’T STRIKE communitiesfrom some distant place. It often begins at home, brewingsilently under the surface. Hate can grow out of dividedcommunities, communities in which residents feel pow-

    erless or voiceless, communities in which differences arethe cause of fear instead of celebration.The best cure for hate is a tolerant, united community.

    As Chris Boucher of Yukon, Penn., put it after residentsthere opposed a local meeting of the Ku Klux Klan, “Aunited coalition is like Teon. Hate can’t stick there.”

    Hate exists “because the ground in the area is receptivefor it,” says Steven Johns Boehme, leader of the MichiganEcumenical Forum. “If you drop the seeds of prejudice insoil that is not receptive, they won’t take root.”

    Experts say the first step in changing hearts is tochange behavior. Personal changes are important — the

    positive statements you make about others, unlearningassumptions about people who are different — but com-munitywide changes are instrumental, too.

    Often, either after a bias incident or as a tool for pre- venting one, communities want to sponsor multiculturalfood festivals and other events to celebrate differences.These are important steps in helping community mem- bers feel acknowledged and appreciated. We encourage you to sponsor these — and we encourage you to go deeper.

    STEPS TO TAKENot sure where to start? Consider the following:

    > Hold candlelight vigils, religious services and otheractivities to bring people of different races, religions andethnic groups together. In Boise, Idaho, Martin LutherKing Jr.’s birthday has become an 11-day Human RightsCelebration.

    > Honor history and mark anniversaries. In Selma, Ala., a multicultural street fair is held on the anniversaryof Bloody Sunday, when voting rights activists attemptedto walk across a bridge to Montgomery and were beaten back by police. And in Denver, Cinco de Mayo has

    become a major celebration of Mexican culture.> Break bread together. The Cornbread Club in

    Lubbock, Texas, brings together people of different eth-nicities and income levels. The group has no agenda, no

    speakers and only one rule at its monthly dinners at alocal cafeteria: Sit next to someone you don’t know.> Move from prayer to action. In California’s San

    Fernando Valley, an interfaith council formed “homedialogues,” with people from different faiths and cul-tures meeting together in their homes. In Covington,Ky., churchwomen conducted a letter-writing campaignto support hate crime legislation; they later promotedteacher training in race relations.

    > Begin a community conversation on race.Discussion groups, book clubs, Internet chat rooms andlibrary gatherings can bring people together. Effective

    community conversations allow individuals to tell theirstories, their immigration history, their daily encounterswith discrimination, their fear about revealing sexualorientation and so on.

    > Consider building something the community needs,and use it as an organizing tool – from a teen center toa new playground. Make sure residents from different backgrounds are included in the process.

    > Create a tolerance website or an online commu-nity discussion board. Coloradans United Against Hate— www.cuah.org — is an online “paperless organization”with a virtual billboard for posting stories and comments

    on local hate issues.

    TOLERANCE NETWORKSFrom “human rights coalitions” to “peace and justice”groups, many regions across the country are creating tol-erance networks. Individual member organizations canorganize their communities around issues of toleranceand social justice; combined, the networks make a pow-erful force for responding to bias incidents and lobbyingfor change.

    8. LOOK LONG RANGE8. LOOK LONG RANGE

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    9. TEACH TOLERANCEBias is learned early, usually at home. Schools can offer lessons

    of tolerance and acceptance. Sponsor an “I Have a Dream” contest.Reach out to young people who may be susceptible to

    hate group propaganda and prejudice.

    BIAS IS LEARNED IN CHILDHOOD. By age 3, chil-dren can be aware of racial differences and may havethe perception that “white” is desirable. By age 12, they

    can hold stereotypes about ethnic, racial and religiousgroups. Because stereotypes underlie hate, and becausealmost half of all hate crimes are committed by youngmen under 20, tolerance education is critical.

    Schools are an ideal environment to counter bias, because they mix youth of different backgrounds, placethem on equal footing and allow one-on-one interac-tion. Children also are naturally curious about peoplewho are different.

    IN THE CLASSROOMHere are some ideas:

    > Acknowledge differences among students and cele- brate the uniqueness of everyone. In Debra Goldsbury’srst-grade class in Seattle, children paint self-portraits,mixing colors to match their skin tone. They then nametheir colors, which have included “gingerbread,” “melon”and “terra cotta.” They learn that everyone has a color,that no one is actually “white.”

    > Create an “I Have a Dream” contest, in which stu-dents envision and describe an ideal community. InNorth Berkshire, Mass., winning essays are reproducedand rolled onto highway billboards donated by theCallahan Outdoor Advertising Company.

    > Promote inclusion and fairness, but allow discus-sions of all feelings, including bias learned at home andthe street. Establish a “peace table” where children learnto “ght fair,” perhaps with hand puppets in which con-ict is acted out.

    > Promote diversity by letting children tell storiesabout their families, however different they may be.Diversity embraces not just race, but age, religion, mar-ital status and personal ability. Remember that charting“family trees” can be a challenge to some children, such

    as those who are adopted or living with single parents.> Use art and theatre to help children understand

    the effects of discrimination and celebrate their differ-

    ences. At Southeast Whiteld High School in Dalton, Ga.,an English as a Second or Other Language class painted amural on their classroom wall. The activity provided anoutlet for immigrant students to share part of their cultureand discuss the challenges of moving to a new country.

    > Teach older children to look critically at stereotypesportrayed by the media. Ask them to close their eyes andimagine a lawyer, doctor, rap musician, gang member, bank president, hair stylist or criminal. What did they“see” and why? Confronted with their own stereotypes,children begin to question how they’ve been shaped bythe media.

    > Teach mediation skills to kids. At Mill HillElementary School in Faireld, Conn., a group of fth-graders, selected because of their reputations as bullies,respond anonymously to letters from younger studentsseeking advice on a range of school-related problems,like bullying and harassment. The program helps stu-dents develop empathy.

    BEYOND THE CLASSROOMTolerance can be taught to your community as well.Consider this case in Arizona:

    Amid increasingly virulent anti-immigrant sentiment,

    the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos (Human RightsCoalition) holds weekly public vigils in Tucson to honorthose who have lost their lives trying to cross the borderfrom Mexico into the United States.

    The group, which works to document human rightsabuses along the border, also keeps a list of border deaths,including age and cause of death: age 26, dehydration; age 18, hit by a car; age 43, gunshot wound; age 25, drowned;age 19, heat stroke.

    “It hits home, with the specic information,” said Kat

    9. TEACH TOLERANCE9. TEACH TOLERANCE

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    Rodriguez of Derechos Humanos. “It shows the cost ofthe failed and awed border policies of the United States,the human cost.”

    RESPONDING TO BIAS ON CAMPUS

    While most schools have plans in place to deal with re, bad weather and medical emergencies, few are preparedfor bias incidents.

    But there are many things you can do. As educators,it is critical that you speak up when bigotry comes fromcolleagues. In a survey of Teaching Tolerance readers,educators responded that the No. 1 source of biased lan-guage on campus was other educators. When teachersexhibit intolerant attitudes, students lose an importantally — and the harassers win.

    Teaching Tolerance offers programs to help schools become “safe zones.”

    Mix It Up encourages students to break down the social boundaries that create cliques and lead to harmful stereo-types and exclusion. During the annual Mix It Up at LunchDay, students eat lunch while sitting next to someone theydon’t know. Prompts from teachers or other students guidethe conversation. Often combined with dialogue groupssponsored by Study Circles, Mix It Up at Lunch Day hashelped millions of students across the country examinetheir own biases and overcome their fears of difference. Visit www.mixitup.org for more information.

    21

    Five Steps for Parents1. Examine your children’s textbooks and the curri-cula at their schools to determine whether they are

    equitable and multicultural.2. Encourage teachers and administrators to adoptdiversity training and tolerance curricula, includingTeaching Tolerance magazine and other diversityeducation materials.

    3. Encourage your children to become toleranceactivists. They can form harmony clubs, build multi-cultural peace gardens, sponsor “walk in my shoes”activities and join study circles to interact with chil-dren of other cultures.

    4. Examine the media your children consume, fromInternet sites to the commercials during their favor-ite TV shows. Stereotypes and issues of intoleranceare bound to be present. Discuss these issuesopenly, as you would the dangers of sex and drugs.

    5. Model inclusive language and behavior. Childrenlearn from the language you use and the attitudesyou model. If you demonstrate a deep respect forother cultures, races and walks of life, most likelythey will, too.

    Matt Cavedon, 14, of Connecticut, hasbecome an advocate against bully-

    ing, proled by Scholastic News . Hismessage: Don’t let bullying go unchal-lenged. “Anyone who sees somethingshould do something,” he said. “Don’t

    just be bystanders; get involved.”

    AP WIDE WORLD PHOTO

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    TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    10. DIG DEEPERLook inside yourself for prejudices and stereotypes. Build your owncultural competency, then keep working to expose discrimination

    wherever it happens—in housing, employment, education and more.

    TOLERANCE, fundamentally, is a personal decision. Itcomes from an attitude that is learnable and embrace-able: a belief that every voice matters, that all people are valuable, that no one is “less than.”

    We all grow up with prejudices. Acknowledging them— and working through them — can be a scary and dif-cult process. It’s also one of the most important stepstoward breaking down the walls of silence that allowintolerance to grow. Luckily, we all possess the power toovercome our ignorance and fear, and to inuence ourchildren, peers and communities.

    IT BEGINS WITH ME Human rights experts recommend starting with the lan-guage we use and the assumptions we make about others. Am I quick to label people as “rednecks” or “illegals”? Do

    I tell gay jokes? Do I look with disdain at families on wel-fare, or do I try to understand the socio-economic forcesthat prevent many families from climbing out of poverty?

    Here are other questions you might ask yourself:> How wide is my circle of friends? How diverse is

    my holiday card list?> How integrated is my neighborhood? My child’s

    school? My workplace? Why is that?> Do I take economic segregation and environmental

    racism for granted?> Do I have the courage to ask a friend not to tell a sex-

    ist or racist or homophobic joke in my presence?

    > Do I receive information about other cultures frommembers of those cultures, or from potentially biased,third-party sources?

    > Do I take the time to listen and learn from otherpeople’s experiences — especially people with whom Imight initially disagree?

    > How often am I in the minority?Many good books, films and workshops can help

    guide you in self-examination. Reading the histories ofother cultures and of different social justice movements

    — the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement, theght for gay rights, for example — is a good start.

    FIGHTING FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE

    Sooner or later, your personal exploration will bump upagainst issues that take more than one person to solve.Investigating your own prejudices will reveal a coun-try with deep, systemic and unresolved prejudice anddiscrimination.

    These issues cry out for answers and people to takethem on. Experts warn that if we fail to tackle the rootcauses of intolerance, the efforts described in this guide- book will end up looking “like small points of light in asea of overwhelming darkness.”

    In any city and state there are dozens of problems toaddress: hunger, affordable housing, domestic violence,

    school dropout rates, police brutality — the list goes on. A caring group of people, having coalesced to deal withhate, could remain together to tackle any number of soci-etal problems.

    Luckily, most towns and cities have neighborhood orcitywide organizations that bring together people of dif-ferent backgrounds to work for change. If yours doesnot, there are plenty of resources available to help youstart one.

    Why not start today?

    The most importantstep is the rst one …

    10. DIG DEEPER10. DIG DEEPER

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    23GETTY IMAGES

    Newly sworn-in citizens join themulticultural fabric of the UnitedStates — and add to its richness.

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    ALABAMAPEACE Birmingham (People Engaged in aCultural Exchange) brings together teens

    for monthly dinner discussions to encour-age respect and understanding amongAfrican American and Jewish youth.

    ALASKAA husband-and-wife team fostersunderstanding through a 40-hourRace and Healing course, designed forindividuals, businesses and other orga-nizations. The course promotes frankdialogue and honest self-assessment.

    ARIZONAThe Jewish Community RelationsCouncil in Tucson drew 200 teach-ers to its in-service program, “Teachingthe Holocaust on the Path to PrejudiceReduction.” The gathering featuredthe director of Houston’s HolocaustMuseum as well as a detective from theTucson Police Department who talkedabout bias and hate-motivated crimes.

    ARKANSAS

    The Women’s Project advocates alter-natives to prison sentences for womenconvicted of non-violent crimes andprotects the civil rights of the incar-cerated. They also offer HIV supportgroups and domestic violence educa-tion for men incarcerated in Arkansasprisons, and publish an annual log ofbias and hate incidents in the state.

    CALIFORNIAAs the nation’s oldest senior theatercompany, Stagebridge in Oakland, uses

    workshops and theatrical performancesto dispel common myths and stereo-types about aging. The company’sactors, storytellers, students and volun-teers range in age from 50 to 95.

    COLORADOCitizens Project is a volunteer-drivenorganization working to ensure theseparation of church and state whileencouraging respect for tolerance anddiversity. Among other things, the

    group raised public awareness when awhite-supremacist group came to townand informed the public of politicians’stances on gay and lesbian issues andracial equality.

    CONNECTICUTStudents and Teachers Against Racism(STAR) uses research and education toraise awareness about racism againstNative Americans and helps victims ofracism and discrimination have their

    voices heard. The group has developeda series of seminars for teachers thatinclude Native American speakers shar-ing personal and historical experiences.

    DELAWARE Create a More Positive Rehoboth(CAMP Rehoboth) helps lessen tensionsbetween the gay and non-gay com-munity through dialogue, cooperation

    and understanding. It holds communityforums to discuss issues of prejudiceand discrimination and offers annual

    sensitivity classes for the town’s incom-ing summer police force.

    FLORIDA The Non-Violence Project, based inMiami and led mostly by a staff ofyoung adults, teaches young peoplealternatives to violent behavior. Amongtheir programs are a peer-mediationgroup, a girls-only project that buildsself-esteem among young women,and a leadership program that teaches

    communication skills.

    GEORGIA From city parks to senior homes, frompet shelters to food banks, Hands OnAtlanta volunteers are at work everyday of the year, building a sense ofcommunity and addressing the needsof their city. Each year, HOA sponsorsthe largest citywide day of service inthe United States. So far, volunteershave contributed more than 3 million

    hours of service to programs impactingthe Atlanta community.

    HAWAII The Na Loio Immigrant Rights andPublic Interest Legal Center providesfree legal services, community edu-cation and advocacy for Hawaii’simmigrants. The group tackles casesinvolving immigrant women and

    ‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’The words of an anti-hate activist echo throughout this guidebook,one woman who left a rose and a card on the doorstep of a hate-crimevictim: “You are not alone.” Like her, individuals and groups acrossthe country are tackling issues of intolerance with creativity, energyand passion. Below is a list of examples, one from every state, to helpinspire ideas for change in your own community.

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    children who are victims of domesticabuse. They also provide interpreters tohelp abuse victims communicate withdomestic violence shelters.

    IDAHO Breaking Bread is a grassroots com-munity-based program that helpsresidents meet, share experiencesand form friendships with peoplefrom diverse ethnic and racial groups.The group meets about ve times ayear and has held seminars on whiteprivilege, race relations and NativeAmerican tribal issues.

    ILLINOIS

    Street-Level Youth Media works withyoung people ages 8 to 22, helpingthem use media arts and technology astools for self-expression, communica-tion and social change.

    INDIANA CommUnity Religious Effort (CURE),brings together religious and civic lead-ers to examine the impact of — andnd solutions to — racism and vio-lence in the community. The group has

    reached out to local law enforcement,prompting agencies to send officers tothe monthly meetings.

    IOWAFirst Friday Breakfast Club was formedas a response to the radical right’srabid opposition to the gay community.The group has become an active forcein the state and provides scholarshipsto college students who have workedfor tolerance in their communities.

    KANSAS Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita edu-cates and organizes people of all faithsto dismantle racism within them-selves as well as within congregationsand organizations. One program pairsMuslims and non-Muslims to speak inthe community, addressing stereotypesand misinformation.

    KENTUCKY Through leadership development andpublic education, the Kentucky FairnessAlliance seeks equality for all mem-bers of the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual

    and transgender community. KFA hasfought discriminatory legislation andhighlights the connection between theoppressions of all people.

    LOUISIANA The People’s Institute for Survivaland Beyond sponsors a communityworkshop called “Undoing Racism/Community Organizing,” which helpsparticipants build strategies to reduceracism by working together.

    MAINE Among other things, Peace throughInteramerican Community Action edu-cates consumers about the role theyplay in supporting the global sweat-shop industry and teaches residentshow to encourage local businesses andcity governments to purchase “sweat-free” apparel.

    MARYLAND

    The Maryland Coalition for InclusiveEducation lobbies for the inclusion ofstudents with disabilities in their neigh-borhood schools. The group uses acombination of community organizing,individual advocacy and professionaldevelopment to make sure families areinformed about options available tothem.

    MASSACHUSETTS The Food Project brings together

    Boston-area youth from diverse back-grounds to grow organic vegetables thatare then donated to local homeless shel-ters or sold to urban farmers’ markets.

    MICHIGAN The Arab Community Center forEconomic and Social Service helpsmeet the needs of low-income families,helps newly arrived immigrants adapt

    to life in America and fosters a greaterunderstanding of Arab culture bothinside and outside the United States.

    MINNESOTA

    The Center for Cross Cultural Healthin Minneapolis, Minn., aims to reducehealth disparities among minor-ity populations by promoting culturalcompetence in healthcare. The groupworks to ensure that patients receivetreatment that takes into account theirethnicity, language, religion and cul-tural beliefs.

    MISSISSIPPI A lesbian couple risked death threats

    and harassment to create Camp SisterSpirit, a picturesque feminist retreatand educational center. The camp isopen to all who share its mission ofempowerment and equality. Meetingspaces are available for communitygroups and other organizations.

    MISSOURI Kansas City Harmony provides com-munitywide education and facilitationprograms. It also sponsors various

    celebrations promoting pride andappreciation for the city’s diversepopulation.

    MONTANA The Mai Wah Society in Butte is cre-ating a permanent exhibit of Asianartifacts. In 2003, the group brought totown a national exhibit about the AsianAmerican experience.

    NEBRASKA

    Citizens for Equal Protection ghts forlegislation and resolutions protectingthe rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender community in hous-ing, employment and other areas.

    NEVADA Nevada Urban Indians Inc. providesfree health care for the nearly 20,000Native Americans living in Reno and

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    Carson City. And through communityeducation programs, it also breaks ste-reotypes and misconceptions.

    NEW HAMPSHIRE

    People First is the only nonprot in thestate that is run completely by peo-ple who are disabled. Among otherempowerment projects, it producesI Got That Right, a video about therights of people with disabilities onsuch issues as voting, relationships andhousing.

    NEW MEXICOThrough the New Mexico Alliancefor Hispanic Education, 144 golfers

    take part in three tournaments, rais-ing $300,000 in scholarship money forLatino students across the state.

    NEW JERSEYThe Center for the Study of WhiteAmerican Culture collects and pro-duces essays and scholarly papersexploring white culture, white privilegeand the role of white people in issuesof race and racism. It also leads com-munity workshops and discussions that

    help participants explore these issues.

    NEW YORKSeeking Harmony in NeighborhoodsEveryday sponsors 500 youth eventseach year that promote respect fordiversity and nonviolence through cre-ative outlets such as art, music, poetryand sports.

    NORTH CAROLINAThe Center for Diversity Education

    researches and compiles the histories ofmarginalized people that often are leftout of textbooks. Student researchersuse archives, library records, interviewsand online resources to help uncoverhidden history.

    NORTH DAKOTAThe North Dakota Human RightsCoalition is part advocacy and

    education, part watchdog. It lobbiesthe state legislature to establish a stateHuman Rights Commission and encour-ages women, people of color and peoplewith disabilities to run for public office.

    OHIO Kaleidoscope, a teen center for lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender youth,offers a rec room, tech room and stageand entertainment area. The groupserves between 70 and 90 people ages12 to 20 each month.

    OKLAHOMA NAMI North Central Oklahoma offersmonthly meetings, hosts mental illness

    experts, and provides support ses-sions for families. The group also worksto change policies and programs thatmake it difficult for people with mentalillness to nd effective treatment.

    OREGON Love Makes a Family offers supportgroups for households led by lesbians,gays, bisexuals and transgendered peo-ple, an outreach group for LGBT youthof color, an anti-bullying program for

    middle-schoolers and other programs.

    PENNSYLVANIA Celebrating Diversity, in Pittsburgh,uses social gatherings to promoteunderstanding and friendship amongpeople of different races, cultures andreligions.

    RHODE ISLANDProgreso Latino offers a bilingual daycare center, adult education and citizen-

    ship classes, an after-school and summeryouth program, a meal program for theelderly, an HIV prevention program anda workers’ rights program that addressesissues of discrimination and mistreat-ment of immigrant employees.

    SOUTH CAROLINAThe Palmetto Project, among otherthings, offers “Building Cultural

    Bridges,” an annual four-day confer-ence that has reached students frommore than 130 high schools, allow-ing students to explore ways to reachacross racial and cultural barriers in

    their schools.

    SOUTH DAKOTAThe Minority Peer Mentoring Programat South Dakota State University aimsto keep more minorities enrolled oncampus. Older students, both minori-ties and non-minorities, are matchedwith incoming students. Group activi-ties include three workshops and threesocials each semester.

    TEXAS The Center for the Healing of Racismoffers interactive workshops for adultsand children that create safe space inwhich participants can explore issues ofracism and privilege.

    TENNESSEE The Nashville chapter of the NationalConference for Community and Justiceoffers programs that help younger stu-dents dispel stereotypes, identify bias

    and reduce prejudice. For teenagersand college students, the programs aredialogue-based, allowing students towork through difficult issues associatedwith diversity.

    UTAH Founded by a Salt Lake City dentistalarmed by a string of hate crimes,Smiles for Diversity creates tolerance-themed materials for use in dentaloffice waiting rooms and school out-

    reach programs. It also publishes adiversity-themed comic book calledScrapyard Detectives.

    VERMONT The Beyond Difference program distrib-utes tolerance-themed picture books toteachers and librarians to help youngchildren learn valuable lessons of diver-sity, inclusion and tolerance. More than

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    50 schools across the state have partic-ipated in the program.

    VIRGINIA The Augusta Coalition for Peace and

    Justice combines church groups, stu-dent groups and labor unions — with arange of diversity in terms of age andsocioeconomic status — in its attemptto turn town gatherings into discus-sions of tolerance and justice. Suchdiscussions happen at mainstreamevents such as Victorian Days and theFourth of July celebration.

    WASHINGTON Nancy Rohde, a teacher for 20 years,

    invites Guatemalan and Mexican immi-grants into her home, teaching themEnglish, sharing meals, making friendsand helping them adjust to life ina town of about 4,000 people in a

    remote area of Washington.

    WEST VIRGINIAPFLAG (Parents, Families and Friendsof Lesbians and Gays) in West Virginia

    offers outreach and education. Onerecent campaign involved sending anti-bullying materials to schools across thestate, aimed at protecting gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgendered youngpeople from harassment and hatecrimes.

    WISCONSINAfter young people in Appleton com-plained that the town of 70,000 didn’tembrace or respect diversity, Harmony

    Café opened. Harmony Café offersdrumming circles, open-microphonepoetry nights and other commu-nity-building gatherings in its newlyrenovated space.

    WYOMINGSponsored by Wyoming Equality, agay-rights advocacy organization,Rendezvous is an annual gathering forLGBT activists. The weeklong event

    includes discussion groups, forumsand lectures, policy discussions andworkshops.

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    28 TEN WAYS TO FIGHT HATE

    RESOURCES A compilation of organizations and materialsthat can assist in the ght against hate.

    NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONSSouthern Poverty Law Center400 Washington Ave.Montgomery, AL 36104(334) 956-8200www.splcenter.org

    American-Arab Anti-DiscriminationCommitteewww.adc.org

    American Jewish Committeewww.ajc.org

    Anti-Defamation Leaguewww.adl.org

    Asian American Legal Defense& Education Fundwww.aaldef.org

    Center for Community Changewww.communitychange.org

    Center for New Communitywww.newcomm.org

    Community Relations ServiceU.S. Department of Justicewww.usdoj.gov/crs

    EdChangewww.edchange.org

    Everyday Democracywww.everyday-democracy.org

    Facing History and Ourselveswww.facinghistory.org

    Gay, Lesbian and StraightEducation Network

    www.glsen.org

    Legal Momentum: Advancing Women’sRights(formerly NOW Legal Defense andEducation Fund)www.legalmomentum.org

    NAACPwww.naacp.org

    National Coalition for Dialogue andDeliberationwww.thataway.org

    National Conference forCommunity and Justicewww.nccj.org

    National Council of Churcheswww.ncccusa.org

    National Council of La Raza

    www.nclr.orgNational Gay and LesbianTask Forcewww.thetaskforce.org

    National Network for Immigrant andRefugee Rightswww.nnirr.org

    Not In Our TownThe Working Groupwww.pbs.org/niot

    Parents and Friends

    of Lesbians and Gayswww.pag.org

    Simon Wiesenthal Centerwww.wiesenthal.com

    Stop the Hate InitiativeCampus Hate Crime Prevention,Association of College UnionsInternationalwww.stophate.org

    ANTI-BIAS AND DIVERSITYWORKSHOPSA World of Difference InstituteAnti-Defamation Leaguewww.adl.org

    The National CoalitionBuilding Institutewww.ncbi.org

    PUBLICATIONSOrganizing Community-wideDialogue for Action and Change

    Everyday Democracywww.everyday-democracy.org

    Hate Hurts: How Children Learnand Unlearn PrejudiceAnti-Defamation Leaguewww.adl.org

    Double Exposure andChallenges to Equality Poverty and Race Research ActionCouncilwww.prrac.org

    The Crisis MagazineNAACPwww.thecrisismagazine.com

    Know Your RightsAmerican-Arab Anti-DiscriminationCommitteewww.adc.org

    Campus Climate for Gay, Lesbian,Bisexual and Transgendered People: ANational Perspective

    National Gay and LesbianTask Forcewww.thetaskforce.org

    One America in the 21st Century: Forginga New Future and Pathways to One

    America in the 21st Century: PromisingPractices For Racial ReconciliationThe President’s Initiative on RaceGovernment Printing OfficeSuperintendent of Documents, SSOP

    Building One Nation: A Study ofWhat Is Being Done Today in Schools,

    Neighborhoods and the WorkplaceLeadership ConferenceEducation Fundwww.civilrights.org

    HATE CRIME STATISTICSFederal Bureau of Investigationwww.fbi.gov/ucr/hatecm.htm

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    “Truth and love and kindnessand caring won out over hate.It restored my faith in humanity.”

    — Palatine, Illinois, Mayor Rita Mullins, after teenagers within the community rose up against the Ku Klux Klan

    Copyright © 2010 by the Southern Poverty Law CenterFOURTH EDITION, FIRST PRINTINGThe Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprot legal and educational orga-nization based in Montgomery, Alabama. The SPLC’s co-founders are Morris Deesand Joseph Levin and its president is Richard Cohen.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of thepublisher. Printed in the United States of America.

    First and second edition text by Jim Carrier, edited by Richard Cohen, research bythe staff of the Intelligence ProjectFourth edition text updated by Booth GunterDesign by Russell EstesCover photograph by Eric Swanson/Getty Images

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    Fighting HateTeaching ToleranceSeeking Justice

    Southern Poverty Law Center400 Washington Avenue

    The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicatedto ghting hate and bigotry, and to seeking

    justice for the most vulnerable members of

    our society. Using litigation, education andother forms of advocacy, we work toward theday when the ideals of equal justice and equalopportunity will be a reality.