A Montgomery nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation is working to highlight the epidemic of hate-fueled crimes, their survivors and the advocacy to prevent these senseless crimes.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) will hold its Hate Crimes Awareness Month campaign throughout October. Through a multi-media campaign urging action from the public, the SPLC hopes to lead a national conversation for advocates and policymakers in the U.S. capital and across the Deep South.
“Every person in this country deserves to feel safe in their community,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center, in a press release. “Uprooting the hate that leads to bias-motivated violence and criminal activity requires addressing prejudice before it influences the minds of susceptible people.”
In the wake of the recent release of the FBI 2023 Hate Crime Statistics Act report showing a continued increase of hate-rated crimes, SPLC says it is now elevating the following four policy recommendations to prevent and combat hate crimes during its Hate Crimes Awareness Month campaign:
- Mandate hate crime reporting. The Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (HR 7648) — would condition federal funding for law enforcement agencies serving large communities on credible reporting of hate crimes. The bill is pending before Congress.
- Provide money for prevention initiatives. Federal agencies – especially the Justice Department and the Department of Education – should establish and fund programs to build community resiliency against hate and empower adults to help steer young people away from violent extremism.
- Expand interagency coordination against hate. Congress should act to institutionalize President Biden’s United We Stand Summit goal to establish an interagency initiative on hate crimes.
- Ban white supremacy from federal law enforcement. Congress should pass legislation to prohibit hiring and retaining law enforcement officials who actively promote white supremacist beliefs or engage in discriminatory policing.
“While we have made progress engaging law enforcement agencies on data collection and reporting, much more can be done to protect vulnerable communities,” said Huang in a press release. “We will continue to push our leaders to invest in strategies that prevent the spread of hate and result in greater accountability and justice for those who have been targeted.”
For more than 50 years, the SPLC has worked to uphold its mission of being at the forefront of combating hate and extremism. Founded in 1971, the organization has won numerous landmark legal victories on behalf of the people and communities in the Deep South and exposed the activities of far-right hate and extremist groups through the SPLC Intelligence Project, Hate Map and Hatewatch blog.
Read more about the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate Crimes Awareness Month campaign here.
