According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 36 hate-related groups in Pennsylvania, and 41 more in West Virginia and Ohio. They are a quantifiable presence in our Synod. But beyond the groups, hate behavior is growing across the country as it finds its way into public commentary and actions. It shows itself through these organized groups as well as through individuals – and even some in our pews.
How can we shine a light on these behaviors and raise awareness in our congregations that leads to engagement? Too often, we act as if not participating in “hate” is our best option for addressing the behavior. It is not.
Below are links to websites, articles, videos and other resources that will assist you and your congregation in taking a stand against hate groups and hate-related behavior.
2019 Regional Connection for Partnership and Networking
Use the links below to connect to the articles, videos and presentations that were used during the Synod’s regional meetings (May 29-June 5).
A Look Inside the Reality of Hate (part I)
Documentary: American Hate
A Look Inside the Reality of Hate (part II)
by Ann Van Dyke, former civil rights investigator/trainer for PA Human Relations Commission
Zoom video conference presentation (sound quality improves at 1:07)
Hate Groups (PowerPoint and PDF versions)
by Dr. James Nolan, professor of sociology, West Virginia University
Hate Crime Prevention: A Few Things to Consider
Handout: What is the right way to see things?
Yes, Hate is Here: Experiences in Our Region
Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle at forefront of connecting community following KKK presence
Materials from Afternoon Conversation Groups
Belonging: the Lure of Hate Groups
Not just the KKK: Dealing with Groups/People Who Spawn Hate But Don’t Own It
Silence is the Welcome Mat for Hate: Faith and Community Responses
The Rhetoric of Hate That is Present in the Culture
Resource Folder Materials
Ten Ways To Fight Hate, Southern Poverty Law Center
Quick Start Guide, Not In Our Town
Closing Litany
Available here
Website Resources
Southern Poverty Law Center
Hate in America
Not In Our Town
Community Responders Network
Combating Hate Crime: A Resource Guide (PA Office of the Attorney General)
PA Coalition Against Hate
Teaching Tolerance
Anti-Defamation League
Simon Wiesenthal Center
Life After Hate
Videos
Welcome the Stranger trilogy by the Community Responders Network
Speech on Perils of Indifference by Elie Weisel
The Victims in America’s State of Hate by CNN
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America
Toolkit
Confronting White Nationalism in Schools
General Articles
Regional
Chronology of hate groups in Pennsylvania
Chronology of hate groups in West Virginia
Chronology of hate groups in Ohio
Retired Elizabethtown College professor founder of H.L. Mencken Club, “an organization for independent-minded intellectuals and academics of the Right”
A West Virginia man was indicted in 2017 for making derogatory comments regarding a woman’s actual and perceived sexual orientation and used a glass bottle to hit her multiple times in the head
Nine people showed up for a KKK rally in Dayton, Ohio. They were drowned out by 600 protestors.
Black freshmen at University of Pennsylvania receive racist messages depicting lynchings
Police in PA abusing state’s hate crime law to punish speech
The making of a YouTube radical
National
FBI director says domestic extremism ‘metastasizing’ around the country
Congress makes lynching a federal crime, 65 years after Emmett Till
Over 1,000 hate groups are now active in United States, civil rights group says
Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail
50 percent of pastors worry they’ll offend people if they speak about social issues
What makes people join hate groups?
Meme Streak: When Christians spread internet hate
Healing the Hate: A national hate crime prevention curriculum for middle schools
How one man convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan members to give up their robes
Right-wing hate groups are recruiting video gamers
Don’t blame incivility when America’s carefully crafted hate turns violent
Militias test the civility of an Arizona border town
Attacks by white extremists are growing. So are their connections.
The U.S. white majority will soon be over
White supremacy activity spreads on campuses
White-supremacist propaganda on campuses rose 77% last year
In California, home to many hate groups, officials struggle to spot the next
KKK groups still active in these states
In the Army and the Klan, he hated Muslims
Analysis of police officers’ Facebook accounts finds hundreds of violent, racist posts