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Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced the start of Hate Crimes Awareness Month, the monthlong campaign highlighting the epidemic of hate-fueled crimes, their survivors and the advocacy to prevent these senseless crimes. The SPLC will lead a national conversation, Oct. 1 – Oct. 31, through a multi-media campaign urging action from the public, advocates and policymakers in the nation’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. “Uprooting the hate that leads to bias-motivated violence and criminal activity requires addressing prejudice before it influences the minds of susceptible people.”
Following the recent release of the FBI 2023 Hate Crime Statistics Act report showing a continued increase of hate-rated crimes, SPLC is elevating 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. “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 been 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.
About the Southern Poverty Law Center: The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.
