Guest commentary: Hate crimes in the U.S. need a national response
October 1, 2012 | 10 Comments
Two weeks after the tragedy in Oak Creek, Wisc. that killed six people and injured many others, Mark H. Morial, president of the National Urban League, and I were at a meeting with community leaders representing a range of racial justice organizations. During a discussion about the hate crime in Oak Creek, several African American community leaders reflected poignantly that “Oak Creek is today’s Birmingham,” hearkening back to the racially-motivated bombing of a church in that city in 1963. Others remembered the African American churches in the south that were destroyed by arsons in the mid-1990s. Then, as in Oak Creek nearly two months ago, community members experienced the isolation, fear, and anxiety that arise from being targeted, particularly at places of worship.
In the wake of the arsons in the south, the federal government took significant steps to address the epidemic of hate that occurred. Then-President Clinton declared the investigation and prevention of such arsons a national priority. In short order, the National Church Arson Taskforce was established to coordinate intergovernmental efforts, and Congress identified funding to move these efforts forward. Community members from around the country joined together to rebuild houses of worship. At that moment, the leadership of our government at the highest levels was critical to countering the crisis that had emerged. Within four years, the number of attacks on African American churches had dropped by half.
Similarly, today, a comprehensive response from government agencies can make a meaningful difference in addressing hate crimes. About two weeks ago, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held a hearing on hate crimes in the wake of Oak Creek. A range of organizations representing diverse constituencies asked the government to take a series of actions, including the establishment of a national coordinated task force, with the backing of Congress and the White House, to address the rise in hate violence and threats posed by violent extremists. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups in the United States has grown by almost 70% since 2000, rising to over 1000 groups currently. In 2010 alone, the FBI reported over 6,600 hate crimes in our country – primarily against people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation.
Within this broader context is that of post-September 11th backlash. In just the few weeks after Oak Creek, several Islamic institutions have been vandalized, shot at with paintballs and a high velocity air rifle, and attacked with an acid bomb. A national taskforce set up to address hate crimes should have a special focus on this pattern of ongoing discrimination, profiling and hate violence endured by Sikhs, Muslims, South Asians and Arab Americans.
We have, for decades, followed the simple yet profound message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. At the Senate Judiciary hearing two weeks ago, African Americans and Latinos stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those in the Sikh, Muslim, Arab and South Asian American communities. We must work together to fight racism in all its forms, no matter who the targets are. We collectively demand that our elected leaders and government agencies play a critical role in stemming the tide of racism and xenophobia. Only with this firmness in resolve and purpose can we make places from Birmingham to Oak Creek safe for all Americans.
Deepa Iyer is executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together. Marc H. Morial is president of the National Urban League.
In the wake of the arsons in the south, the federal government took significant steps to address the epidemic of hate that occurred. Then-President Clinton declared the investigation and prevention of such arsons a national priority. In short order, the National Church Arson Taskforce was established to coordinate intergovernmental efforts, and Congress identified funding to move these efforts forward. Community members from around the country joined together to rebuild houses of worship. At that moment, the leadership of our government at the highest levels was critical to countering the crisis that had emerged. Within four years, the number of attacks on African American churches had dropped by half.
Similarly, today, a comprehensive response from government agencies can make a meaningful difference in addressing hate crimes. About two weeks ago, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held a hearing on hate crimes in the wake of Oak Creek. A range of organizations representing diverse constituencies asked the government to take a series of actions, including the establishment of a national coordinated task force, with the backing of Congress and the White House, to address the rise in hate violence and threats posed by violent extremists. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups in the United States has grown by almost 70% since 2000, rising to over 1000 groups currently. In 2010 alone, the FBI reported over 6,600 hate crimes in our country – primarily against people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation.
Within this broader context is that of post-September 11th backlash. In just the few weeks after Oak Creek, several Islamic institutions have been vandalized, shot at with paintballs and a high velocity air rifle, and attacked with an acid bomb. A national taskforce set up to address hate crimes should have a special focus on this pattern of ongoing discrimination, profiling and hate violence endured by Sikhs, Muslims, South Asians and Arab Americans.
We have, for decades, followed the simple yet profound message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. At the Senate Judiciary hearing two weeks ago, African Americans and Latinos stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those in the Sikh, Muslim, Arab and South Asian American communities. We must work together to fight racism in all its forms, no matter who the targets are. We collectively demand that our elected leaders and government agencies play a critical role in stemming the tide of racism and xenophobia. Only with this firmness in resolve and purpose can we make places from Birmingham to Oak Creek safe for all Americans.
Deepa Iyer is executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together. Marc H. Morial is president of the National Urban League.
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