| First Parish Church has a free pulpit. The views expressed in First Parish sermons are those of each speaker, and not necessarily those of the church itself. |
How often have we used these words? How often have we heard these words? How often have we heard these words and did nothing?
How often have we heard an ethnic joke and laughed?
It's just a joke. Or it's just a word. I didn't mean any harm.
We all know blondes are dumb, blacks are lazy, and Jews are cheap. I can let you fill in any other racial and ethnic slurs you have heard. Sterotypes all, and yet how often do we correct the person making the statement?
While working at a real estate office several years ago my wife was asked to Jew down the price. When she confronted the person who said it she was told it was just an expression. Or more recently when everybody brought in something for the company Christmas party one of the goodies was brought in by the Jew. Just another expression, which meant no harm.
If these expressions can be used freely and innocently how can we tell when they are being used in a hateful way? We can't.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, today in America a hate crime is committed every hour. Every day 8 blacks, 3 whites, 3 gays, 3 Jews, and 1 Latino become victims of a hate crime, and every week somewhere in America a cross is burned.
Hate crimes are not new to America. We can all tell stories of what happened to us, or to a relative, a co-worker, or a friend. Who among you has heard stories of men looking for jobs in the 1930s and 1940s seeing signs "Irish need not apply?" Even now schools throughout America have a quota system.
We read in the newspaper about James Bird, a black man who was dragged to death in Jasper, Texas; Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was crucified in Laramie, Wyoming; or the Oklahoma City bombings, in which 168 innocent people died. Who can forget the line of little children being led out of the daycare center of the Jewish community center in California?
More recently in Duxbury two young girls were arrested for shooting paint balls and later for breaking a window at the home of a Jewish family because they did not decorate for Christmas. In Quincy two white men beat up a black man for disrespecting the man's mother. This just after they were visiting together amicably.
The stories go on and on.
The good news, however, is how people are reacting to these hate crimes. Today more police departments are actively pursuing the perpetrators of these crimes; the legislatures are enacting penalty-enhancement laws modeled after statues proposed by the Anti-Defamation League. Schools are becoming more involved, whether through the Teaching Tolerance program of the ADL, the Teaching Tolerance program of the Southern Poverty Law Center, or local programs carried out within the community.
More important is that people are standing up to be counted. In Jasper, Texas the community rose up in protest -- blacks and whites together -- to assure the country that in their community they lived together in harmony and crimes of this kind would not be tolerated. In Duxbury people of all races and religions joined together in a show of unity to proclaim that these actions of bigotry and hate will not be tolerated.
Several years ago there was a desecration in Everatt at the Jewish cemetery. Two of the stones that were knocked over and spray-painted with swastikas belonged to our family. The feeling of invasion is overwhelming; the anger that consumes you is almost unbearable. We were, however, assured that the stones would be righted and cleaned so that nobody could see the damage. Who would cleanse the pain from our hearts?
At the appropriate time a redediction ceremony was held, at which dignitaries gathered in proper fashion. Representatives from the various governments, churches, and civil organizations gathered together to conduct the ceremonies, along with the familes who have loved ones buried there. But a strange thing happened; along with the people who had to be there were hundreds of people who wanted to be there. Ordinary people making a statement to the world, that in Everett, in Chelsea, and in Revere, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior. These citizens cleansed the hate from my heart.
In Sharon two years ago as people were praying at Temple Sinai during Chanukah some young people spray-painted the walls and broke the menorah. At a meeting with ADL, the police assured us that full attention would be paid to this hate crime and the perpetrators would be pursued vigorously. A short time later the kids were arrested and prosecuted. During the rededication ceremony that was held the following April, the congregation from the Catholic Church located just up the street marched en masse to the ceremony as a show of solidarity.
As I said before, hate will not go away. Forty percent of all hate crimes today are against blacks and thirteen percent are anti-white, but the fastest-growing rates of hate crimes are against Asians and homosexuals. Hate crimes have been thought of as Southern crimes, but today seven of every eight take place in the North or the West. In the 1990s more Ku Klux Klan rallies took place in Pennsylvania than in Alabama. States with large immigrant populations are showing huge increases in hate crimes.
The Internet has become the meeting ground for hate mongers. How easy it is to spread one's message to thousands with just the click of a button.
1. ACT
Do something. In the face of hatred, silence is considered acceptance
-- by the haters, by the public, and worst of all by the victims. Exercise
your right to speak for decency.
2. UNITE
Call your friends, co-workers, and allies from church, school, or
other organizations to form a diverse coalition. Involve your children,
the police, and the media. Seek ideas from everyone and get everyone involved.
3. SUPPORT THE VICTIMS
Hate crime victims are especially vulnerable. Let them know that
you care. Surround them with people with whom they can be comfortable.
If you are a victim, report the incident and ask for help. You do not have
to
be alone.
4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
If you determine a hate group is involved, research its symbols
and agenda. Seek advice from anti-hate organizations. Spread accurate information
to the community.
5. CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE
Do not attend hate rallies. Find another outlet for your anger.
A parade, picnic, or a unity rally will be more constructive. In
Skokie, Illinois, it was determined that a scheduled Klan rally could not
be prevented on legal grounds. Rather than protest at the rally, the entire
town went elsewhere for the day and held a community picnic. The Klan held
its rally, but nobody was there to listen to them.
6. SPEAK UP
Exercise your First Amendment rights. Expose and denounce hate.
Put ads in the newspapers so the media can achieve balance. Do not debate
hate mongers on conflict-driven talk shows.
7. LOBBY LEADERS
Persuade your politicians and business and community leaders to
take a stand against hate. Create a positive reputation for your community.
Unanswered hate is bad for business.
8. LOOK LONG RANGE
Cretae a bias-response team. Hold annual events such as picnics
or fairs to celebrate your community's diversity and harmony. Create a
web site for these purposes.
9. TEACH TOLERANCE
Bias is learned early, usually in the home. But the school environment
can still influence students. Sponsor "I have a dream" contests. Target
youths who may be tempted by skinheads or other hate groups.
10. DIG DEEPER
Look at the issues that divide us: economic inequality, immigration,
homosexuality, religion, and race. Work against discrimination in housing,
employment, and education. Most of all, look inside yourself for prejudice
and stereoypes.
For those of you who are concerened that your children may find some of these hate web sites while surfing the Internet, ADL has developed a hate filter which it will sell to individuals. It is constantly being updated as new sites are developed.
Selected Links
The following are selected from materials provided by our speaker.
If you would like to suggest other resources related to confronting hate,
please contact James Hayes-Bohanan at jhayesboh@bridgew.edu.
National
Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.splcenter.org
Anti-Defamation League: http://www.adl.org
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: http://www.adc.org
American Jewish Committee: http://www.ajc.org
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:
http://www.naacp.org
National Conference for Community & Justice: http://www.nccj.org
National Council of Churches: http://www.ncccusa.org
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: http://www.ngltf.org
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: http://www.pflag.org
Simon Wiesenthal Center: http://www.wiesenthal.com
Regional and Local
Facing Hstory and Ourselves: http://www.facing.org
Study Circles Resource Center: http://civic.net/ACF/SCRC.html
Safe Colleges Task Force (BSC): http://www.bridgew.edu/Depts/counslng/SCTF.htm
Workshops
A World of Difference Institute (ADL): http://www.adl.org/awod/awod_institute.html
The National Coalition Building Institute: http://www.ncbi.org
Statistics
Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hatecm.htm
|
HOME |
|