Home / Plan / Issues

Addressing Hate

Overview

Most people recognize that racism is part of what incites hateful speech and incidents of violence aimed at people of other race/ethnicities than one’s own. This kind of overt and violent racism is relatively easy to spot, and many groups and communities think about addressing it at the individual or group level. The resources in this section offer some ideas about that process. At the same time, it is also useful to view overt racism like violence, the presence of hate groups and hateful speech, as an indicator of systemic and institutional racism, and to think about intervening at those levels as well. For example, the number of hate groups in the United States has been rising since 2000, as has the number of hate crimes. Some of the increase is likely due to increased reporting, but, as evidenced by the level of discourse on the internet, some is a statement about current culture: what is considered intolerable behavior, how that message is shared with others and ways society responds or acts preventatively so that kind of behavior is not repeated. Typically, crime and/or violence hold the public’s attention for a media minute, with the assumption that these incidents are rare and not commonplace, yet they still are. This tolerance for extreme views on race speaks to the work that needs to be done.

Key sites

Practices

Resources

Also in this section:

Tipsheet: How can we avoid blaming the victim?

Tipsheet: How Can We Avoid “Blaming The Victim” When We Present Information On Poor Outcomes For Different Groups In Our Community? »

Glossary

Racial Equity tools is brought to you by: