SPLC on Campus Announces Fall Webinar Series

SPLC on Campus is offering a series of webinars that are designed to aid in starting and maintaining a successful club, teach you about the Alt-Right, and offer tips for engaging in nonviolent protest on campus and conducting voter registration.

Here’s the schedule:

Wednesday, September 6 (1pm CT): The Alt-Right on Campus – using our newest guide to the Alt-Right, this webinar will detail the lead figures in the alt-right movement, as well as how to respond to this movement. EDIT: This archived webinar is available by registering here.

Friday, September 8 (1pm CT): Starting an SPLC on Campus Club – this webinar will focus on how to become an official club, how to recruit members, and how to become an effective force for change on campus. EDIT: This archived webinar is available by registering here.

Wednesday, September 20 (1pm CT): Voter Registration – this webinar will offer tips on conducting voter registration on campus and in your community.

This schedule will be updated with any changes and links for registration.

Join us!

No hate welcome here: President, SGA and diversity officer speak out against racism, bigotry

Image by Kris Martins

Students around the country have witnessed white nationalists of the Alt-Right as they increasingly target college campuses with hate-filled flyers, speaking engagements, and recruitment. Chip Brownlee writes about Auburn University’s response in The Plainsman.

College campuses across the United States have become the focal points of a growing trend of alt-right and white nationalist propaganda, hate speech and recruitment efforts — and Auburn is no different.

In a series of interviews, University leaders — including President Steven Leath, Student Government President Jacqueline Keck and Associate Provost Taffye Clayton, the University’s diversity and inclusion officer — spoke out against what they labeled as “hate and bigotry.”

“I think we’ve made a commitment and made it clear that these are not beliefs of ours, and it’s not a reflection of who we are,” Keck said. “I always think we should just take a stand against it.”

Since last fall, Auburn has become a target for alt-right action. Former Breitbart News tech editor Milo Yiannopolous, known for his blatantly sexist and Islamaphobic rhetoric, spoke on campus in October 2016. In the spring, white nationalist leader Richard Spencer fought the University in court over a speech in Foy Hall — a speech that ended up being filled with themes and thoughts that were overtly racist.

While most of the events on Auburn’s campus have lacked any serious violence, they haven’t been isolated or infrequent.

In the month before Spencer’s speech, a new “Auburn White Student Union” popped up online and distributed dozens of anti-Semitic fliers on campus. One of the “resources” listed on their website is a 4-hour YouTube video highlighting the “Case for White Nationalism.”

A similar trend has spread across other campuses. Controversial white nationalist speakers come to speak, and instances of leafleting and other attempts at recruitment precede or follow, attempting to take advantage of the controversy.

Clayton and Keck said hate and violence do not belong at Auburn and are being propagated by outside actors.

“I think that there are important and challenging and, unfortunately, violent things happening around the nation that are not specific to Auburn in particular,” Clayton told The Plainsman. “Auburn University is a family, a University that is guided by a set of core values. Among those values is diversity. We will continue to be wedded to our enduring values, and that’s what we represent.”

Leath agreed that Auburn is just one of many places experiencing these incidents.

“Auburn is a wonderful place with wonderful people, but we’re not immune from what’s happening throughout society,” Leath said. “Our goal is to deal with it responsibly and in a way that contributes to better understanding and intellectual growth.”

The University issued several statements affirming their commitment to diversity and inclusion during the Spencer events, as well, and went as far as to attempt to block the event because of administrator and police concerns over students’ safety.

The University also forced the White Student Union to remove University trademarks, and the group still hasn’t obtained official student organization status.

The conversation has continued over how to respond to these instances of racism, particularly after the Unite The Right white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which ended in violence and the death of one 32-year-old anti-racism demonstrator who was run over by a car allegedly driven by a neo-Nazi sympathizer.

And over the weekend, a rising leader in youth alt-right circles, 19-year-old Nicholas Fuentes, who attended that rally, said he would be transferring to Auburn in the spring to “rally the troops.”

Fuentes has repeatedly said Islamaphobic and violent statements and espoused his desire for a white ethnostate on his Right Side Broadcasting Network show, “America First.”

The network is based in Auburn.

While Fuentes was accepted for the fall semester, he will have to re-apply for the spring because he didn’t accept that offer. The University hasn’t directly responded to Fuentes’ plans to transfer, which is commonplace.

Leath — now just three months into his new job as the University’s 19th president — will undoubtedly be faced with more issues like these in his time at Auburn.

On Tuesday, Leath told The Plainsman that the University will stand for “free speech and robust exploration of ideas,” but condemned racism and hate.

“The best thing we can do is make clear that we stand for respect, civility, integrity and equality and to do so in a thoughtful, peaceful manner,” Leath said. “The Auburn Creed is clear. Hate, racism and bigotry are not a part of Auburn.”

More generally, none of the three campus leaders directly named white nationalism or white supremacy as the culprit of the increased activity at Auburn or nationwide, which could be a mistake, said Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC is a Montgomery-based civil rights nonprofit that tracks hate groups.

“Stand strongly against it and talk about everything that has happened, acknowledge everything that has happened,” Brooks told The Plainsman. “The students already know what has happened.”

Leaving the movement simmering underground won’t work, Brooks said.

“It just runs the chance of letting the bad guys think they can get away with it,” Brooks said.

In addition to issuing the statements on diversity, the University has chosen to support student-organized attempts to counter the white nationalist speeches and incidents on campus with events featuring messages of inclusivity.

The NFL’s first openly gay player, Michael Sam, spoke on campus about his experience being a gay professional athlete only two days before Yiannopoulos came. Students organized a music festival on the Green Space, Auburn Unites, to counter Spencer’s event. Black student organizations led a peaceful march in protest.

“It is not a place that is unwelcoming,” Clayton said, “It is a place that gives purpose to getting better. There are indicators that we are serious about the mission.”

Clayton is also overseeing a new speaker series called “Critical Conversations” that seeks to highlight different viewpoints with frank, open and respectful debates.

As part of the “Critical Conversation” series, prominent figures from across the political spectrum will deliver lectures on free speech and intellectual diversity in public education. The first lectures will be with Cornel West, a liberal scholar, and conservative Princeton professor Robert George.

“It is vitally important, in the spirit of free speech, that our students come and expect that they may encounter individuals with views that are different from their own,” Clayton said. “Those that are more hate-riddled and violent are certainly things we are not talking about, and I think that it is important to make that distinction.”

How Five Weeks Strengthened My Resolve

I settle down at my computer, at least six tabs open on Chrome, my email popping up with a notification, and Word staring back with one 90-page document open, waiting for me to continue.  It is not yet ten-thirty and two of my supervisors are away at a conference. My fellow intern, Jerneice, sits across an aisle from me and Lecia Brooks, the director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center and of SPLC on Campus, sits to my right. The music from my headphones lulls to background noise and I open another Word doc, further crowding my screen, as I begin to type.

Two months ago, I spent more time than I would like to admit adjusting my resume—cutting out irrelevant jobs and cramming in experience—for a job at a nonprofit I had hesitated applying to a year and a half ago. At that time, I was unsure of where I wanted to be after my undergrad. I felt ill prepared for life after college and was taking a full course load to graduate faster and rush into the unknown. My major, anthropology, had nurtured my passion for people and I had been determined to go to law school and help others any way I could. But, seeing as I was rushing through my degree and graduating in the fall semester, I was kind of stuck because I couldn’t apply for spring admission at any law schools I was interested in. After taking a Deaf culture class and finishing all my major requirements, I was determined to fight for the rights of others. I looked into an internship and a couple other jobs at the Southern Poverty Law Center, but dismissed applying because I was almost a year from graduation with no time for a full-time job.

In the fall, a new master’s program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Anthropology of Peace and Human Rights was announced. I was beyond ecstatic to be accepted and I started a new degree three weeks after walking across the stage at Troy University for my first.  A couple months into the program, we were encouraged to attend a presentation at the student center by SPLC. My classmates and I filed in, sitting on the same row, and listened attentively. Shortly thereafter, I was in contact with the coordinator for SPLC on Campus, Daniel Davis, and trying to start a chapter at UAB. In May, he announced an internship opportunity for the summer. Here, I spent too much time adjusting my resume and sent it in along with a lengthy writing sample from a class that semester.

I wasn’t extremely nervous before my interview, but it was via video chat, so that was a new experience for me. A few days after, HR called me to offer me a job and my reply was, “Awesome!” That pretty much sums up my experience here at SPLC on Campus. The atmosphere is so accepting, warm, and encouraging; everyone I have met is genuine and kind. In fact, on my first day, I met Richard Cohen, the President, in the elevator and he introduced himself as the “elevator operator.” Morris Dees, the founder, took all the interns to a lunch on the weekend following orientation and encouraged everyone to eat their fill of Southern comfort foods. My team is my favorite part, though, besides knowing that I’m helping others. Shay DeGolier, Outreach and Organizing Specialist, Daniel, Lecia, Jerneice, and I are the driving force behind SPLC on Campus this summer. I’ve been working on gathering resources and links to post on our website for students and other interested individuals to utilize. Compiling a list of social justice organizations at each of the ten largest universities/colleges in every state is my other major task; this is the 90-page list that is still a work-in-progress. 

As founder of the UAB chapter, being on the other end of this process is enlightening. There is so much work that goes into ensuring all chapters run smoothly: providing resources and items for them, travelling to speak at events they participate in or for conferences, constantly monitoring news and media for the site and social media, etc. SPLC on Campus is only two years old—and has accomplished so much in so little time. Lately, I had been wondering how much I could actually help others. How much can one person actually change things? They can significantly; reminders of this are all around me. Morris Dees works upstairs, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s office is a few blocks away at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Memorial greets me everyday on my way to work, and the Civil Rights Memorial Center, profoundly powerful and emotional, is my view from the building windows. Being around so much inspiration, determination, and productivity has encouraged me to follow my path to human rights law. My time here around so many empowered individuals has strengthened my resolve to help protect the rights of others. The SPLC on Campus team have been extremely helpful, fun to work with, and very involved in current events and with their chapters. They inspired me to be proactive and to help UAB’s chapter to be involved and active on campus.

-Caitlin Beard, SPLC on Campus Intern

A Primer on Responding to Hate in Your Backyard

Taking methods from the SPLC's updated Ten Ways to Fight Hate, Steve Tanner of 500 Pens has written this list of the best ways to respond in the face of hate and bigotry: 

1. Draw Attention Away From Hateful Protests and Demonstrations
Whether it’s a Ku Klux Klan rally down main street or an anti-immigrant protest at a public park, the best response is to draw attention away from the event by creating an alternative, as noted in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC’s) Ten Ways to Fight Hate: Community Response Guide. Sure, the natural response is to attend the rally and stage a counter-protest, but such confrontations tend to serve the perpetrators (in this case, the bigoted demonstrators) and often lead to violence.

Instead, the SPLC advocates that “every act of hatred should be met with an act of love and unity.” Specifically, this could take the form of an alternative event — held at the same time as the hate-based event but in a different area — emphasizing the strength of the community in all its diversity.

For example, once when the Klan came to Indianapolis for a rally, museums and other local attractions provided free admission to city residents; a youth rally was held by community leaders in a ballroom; and a coalition of community leaders took out a full-page newspaper ad deploring the Klan and what they stand for. Similarly, a Klan rally in Pulaski, Tenn. (the birthplace of the KKK) prompted local businesses to close down, which meant there were no restaurants or even public restrooms for the Klan marchers.  

2. Do Not Engage with the Attackers
People who show disregard or outright hatred for Muslims, African Americans, Jews, LGBTQ individuals, immigrants, or members of other minority groups cannot be expected to act rationally. This means confronting or arguing with such individuals likely will not help the situation, but could actually pour gasoline on the fire.

“People attacking and using hate speech are acting on high emotions; the antidote isn’t trying to reason with them or throw facts at them,” explains Amy Cox, Director of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution master’s program at Arcadia University in Philadelphia. “Bad situations become worse when individuals try to directly address the attacker.”

So if confronting the attacker is the wrong approach in most situations, then what can you do when hate rears its ugly head? Generally, we want to protect the person being attacked.

3. Focus on Protecting the Attacked Person
If it’s a random person on a train, the sidewalk, a restaurant, or some other public place, the key is to help the person being targeted to feel safe and protected or to physically create a safe space for them, Cox explains. She acknowledges that our knee-jerk reaction is often to try and “talk down” the perpetrator, but stresses that helping the person being attacked is almost always the safest and more effective approach. She offers the following guidelines:

• Engage the attacked person in a conversation about something random (such as the weather) just to interrupt the hateful act.
• Gently step between the attacker and the attacked person, engaging the attacked person with simple conversation or even just a smile.
• Give the attacked person a safe place to move toward, such as a seat in a different area of the bus or a spot where they would feel more secure.
• Act as if you know the person being attacked and pull them away from the unpleasant situation.

This strategy also is explained through a series of illustrations titled “What to do if you are witnessing Islamophobic harassment” by an artist named Maeril. In the illustrated guide, all of the focus is on creating a safe space for the attacked individual (depicted as a woman in a hijab), while the attacker is simply ignored.      

4. Alert the Police and Other Authorities When Appropriate
Speak up and contact the authorities if you witness an act of bigoted hostility or harassment, according to attorney and outspoken LGBTQ rights advocate Gina Scialabba, who regularly interacted with police while working as a deputy San Mateo district attorney.

If you witness (or are the victim of) a hate crime, be sure to take notes — assuming it’s safe and practical to do so — and report it immediately. After reporting it to your local police, you also can file a report with the SPLC, which tracks hate crimes across the country. The organization Muslim Advocates provides a state-by-state directory of FBI and attorney general contacts for reporting hate crimes, while the Human Rights Campaign (a prominent LGBTQ civil rights organization) offers a step-by-step guide for what to do if you’re the victim of a hate crime.

It’s important to keep in mind that hate speech is generally protected by the First Amendment, while not every act of bigotry is a “hate crime” in the technical sense. Regardless, reporting acts of bigotry can help the police and other authorities be more aware of what’s happening and potentially prevent the escalation of more serious acts.

5. Prepare in Advance
Hindsight is 20/20, but opportunities to nip a hateful act in the bud often come along when we least expect it. Lecia Brooks, Outreach Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), recommends preparing for these kinds of encounters in advance: “If a person has given careful consideration to how they’ll react,” she says, “they’re more likely to muster the courage to speak up. For example, someone who isn’t prepared may resort to a knee-jerk reaction (such as arguing with the attacker) that could escalate the situation instead of extinguishing it.

Brooks also suggests reviewing the SPLC publication “Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry” as well as their brand-new guide, “SPLC Campus Guide to Countering ‘Alt-Right.‘”

Alabama must expand its Community Corrections Program

If Alabama were considered a country, it would have the fifth-highest incarceration rate in the world, according to a 2016 study by the Prison Policy Initiative.

Mandatory minimum sentencing laws, a lack of funding for noninstitutionalized care, and draconian drug laws have pushed Alabama past countries like Syria, Iran, and Cuba and cemented our position as a state of rampant servitude. Minorities have been disproportionately affected, with African-Americans being imprisoned at a rate three times greater than whites despite only being 26 percent of the state’s population. Additionally, Alabama’s prisons are operating at 173 percent capacity — overcrowding that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of several inmates and guards in the past few years.

The situation has developed into an economic and moral disaster. Change must be wrought, and quickly. One way to mitigate Alabama’s incarceration crisis is to invest in the Community Corrections Program (CCP), a program designed to rehabilitate and reconnect convicted adults and adjudicated juveniles, all the while holding them accountable in the community through supervision.

Last summer, I interned in Randolph County and met Rebecca Farmer, Randolph County’s director of CCP. Having never heard of CCP, I sat down with her to discuss the program and the change in criminal justice philosophy it represents — how it’s slowly transforming the dominant and largely ineffective criminal justice philosophy of “Tough on Crime” into the more morally sound “Smart on Crime.” CCP first came to Alabama in 1991. To be eligible for the program, the convicted person must be a nonviolent offender; many participants have been convicted of crimes like DUIs and minor drug offenses. Too often, people fall into drug abuse because of a lack of connection in their lives; a pillar of CCP is to help participants build a life that isn’t worth losing to drug addiction, to build connections in the community. To do this, the program helps participants by utilizing evidence-based programs that include helping participants earn a GED, helping them get a driver’s license, offering classes in financial literacy and more. Instead of expecting formerly incarcerated individuals to immediately become reconnected to their communities upon release, the program offers continued opportunities to reconnect throughout their sentence. Many inmates find themselves imprisoned because of a foundational lack of purpose. Tethering them to their communities is an excellent way to fill that void.

Along with giving participants a chance to reconstruct their lives, the program also opens up prison beds for violent and repeat offenders, and, in doing so, it saves taxpayers money. On average, the cost per inmate in CCP is only slightly more than $10 a day, which is significantly lower than the nearly $48 a day cost for offenders in an Alabama Department of Corrections facility.

Moreover, a meta-analysis that involved 53,614 subjects found that including treatment and rehabilitation in alternative sentencing reduces recidivism by 10 percent, which is an investment that benefits everyone.

I encourage all of you, whether your county doesn’t have a CCP like mine or if it already has one, to promote the program to your local leaders and state representatives. It’s one of the ways a college student can effect real, tangible change on the ground. Currently, only 21 counties in Alabama have an active CCP. But through grassroots organizing, college students can put the necessary pressure on their local and state governments to expand this vital program.

The economic reasons for investing in CCP beckon us. But even more important than smart economics, we need to invest in CCP because of the single, fundamental reason that we are morally obligated to do so.

-
This opinion piece was written by Weston H. Sims, a rising junior at Auburn University and Opinions Editor for The Auburn Plainsman.

Pride in Alabama: Looking Back

I am not the first to say that growing up gay in the South is often no easy task; even in Montgomery, a mid-size city and the capital of Alabama, conservative values and anti-LGBTQ bigotry seem to retain their persistent influence in the hearts and minds of many people in my local community.

Last month, I had the privilege of participating in this year’s Pride, a weekend-long event sponsored by Montgomery Pride United that featured a drag queen pageant, variety showcase, and silent auction, which culminated in a Pridefest on Sunday complete with a march, rally, and street festival. A full day of fun surrounded by transgender pride flags and endless rainbows, the clear sense of community I felt led me to reflect on past Pride events I’ve experienced growing up in Montgomery.

Montgomery’s celebration of Pride has been sporadic over the years, primarily due to leadership changes in local LGBTQ organizations, how active the community is in particular years, or other factors. Though the first known Pride event happened in 1998, it was 2005 before another event was organized. Since then, there have been several years where Pride has not been celebrated at all. My first Pride event was downtown behind beautiful Union Station in 2007, under the old train shed that then functioned as a parking lot. At 16, this Pride was one of my first encounters with the larger LGBTQ community.

A giant rainbow flag over fifteen feet tall served as a backdrop to Montgomery’s third annual Capital City Pride in 2007, where a stage was set up for performances and vendor booths represented a variety of local, state, and national organizations. Some organizations in attendance like PFLAG and ACLU have continued to be regular fixtures at Pride festivals for years, but at least one (the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) seems to be far less prevalent in the years following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Looking back, I remember there being very little diversity, as most attendees I saw were white; in addition, gay and lesbian issues dominated the day just as they dominated the national conversation in a time when the bisexual and trans communities were not as visible.  In fact, the only thing that has not seemed to have changed in ten years is the weather— just as it was this year, the humidity of Alabama summer meant that the shade provided only a little relief from the heat.

In the last ten years, the LGBTQ community in the United States has undergone some very clear changes as society has generally become more accepting. Even in Alabama, more people are coming out and at younger ages. The community still faces hate crimes, youth homelessness, and discrimination, as well as struggles like racism, transphobia, and division; still, people representing a wide spectrum of gender and sexual minorities seem to be gaining more of a voice, beyond just gay men and lesbians. To me, that was the biggest difference between 2007 and 2017: diversity in community. Nowhere was that realization more evident than at the end of this year’s Pride march, where people of a multitude of races, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities stood in a large circle in front of the Alabama State Capitol. In that moment and in the midst of a state and political climate that is still trying to oppress queer people, we sang together that no, “we shall not be moved.”

—Daniel C. Davis, SPLC on Campus Coordinator

SPLC on Campus gets a chance for outreach at SSA Con 2017

SSA Con attendees pose for their annual staircase photo

Two weeks ago, SPLC on Campus joined several other organizations by sponsoring the 2017 Conference held by the Secular Student Alliance. A progressive organization for student leaders and activists, the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) shares many of the same goals for social justice as we do, while at the same time they provide a space for like-minded students to come together in community.

According to Nick Stancato, manager of the SSA’s Campus Organizing team, close to 200 individuals attended SSA Con, coming together with newfound energy in the wake of the current political climate. Though we were not able to attend the conference in person, it was said that many attendees appreciated the SPLC on Campus table, where we offered buttons, wristbands, and other materials. Nick also mentioned how many view the Southern Poverty Law Center as a natural ally, along with other organizations present such as Planned Parenthood, URGE (Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity), and the American Humanist Association, among others.

We wish the folks at the Secular Student Alliance well in the upcoming school year, as they continue to provide community and fight for social justice on campus.

How a Teenage Asylum Seeker from South Africa Became a Social Justice Advocate in Maine

At first, members of the Southern Maine Community College chapter of SPLC on Campus were worried they had ordered too much food.

The group was hosting one of its first major events, a screening of Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated film 13th. The 2016 documentary, which argues that slavery continues in America through the mass incarceration of African Americans, was not exactly light viewing. But by the time the film began, some 30 people had gathered to watch it. Surplus pizza, it turned out, was not going to be an issue.

After the screening, SPLC on Campus members led a discussion. The conversation was intense, said the group’s founder, Dorcas Ngaliema — but it showed that the SPLC group was a necessary addition to the seaside campus of 6,000 students.

“People talked about a lot of things they didn’t know,” Ngaliema said. “People were kind of shocked … it was uncomfortable to see that African Americans were being systematically targeted.”

When it comes to social justice, shock is a step in the right direction, Ngaliema said. “I really advocate for people being uncomfortable because that’s the only way we can learn.”

As an asylum-seeker, Ngaliema knows a lot about discomfort.

Two and a half years ago, when she was 17, Ngaliema thought her family was leaving their home in Cape Town, South Africa, for a vacation. But two weeks before the trip, her parents broke the news to her and her younger sister: the family wasn’t taking a vacation. They were relocating to Portland, Maine.

This wasn’t the first time the family had emigrated. When Ngaliema was just nine months old, her parents fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo to escape civil war. This time, concerned about a rise in xenophobic attacks across South Africa, her parents decided it was time to move farther away.

“A lot of people didn’t feel safe anymore,” Ngaliema said. In addition to her parents’ concerns about safety, they also wanted their daughters to have access to better education.

The move to America changed everything.   

“It was really hard,” Ngaliema, now 19, said of the move. “I came from a very comfortable life back home — a lot more comfortable than being here. My parents had to start over again.”

When the family first arrived, the shelter they’d planned to stay at didn’t have room for them, so they had to stay in a hotel until they found an apartment a few months later. In South Africa, Ngaliema’s father had worked for Shell Oil Company, and her mother ran a daycare center. Now, to make ends meet, he works multiple jobs in the social services field, while she works as a hotel housekeeper.

Despite the challenges of building a life in a new country, Ngaliema believes she has had an easier immigrant experience than many of her classmates at Portland High School, a hub of diversity in a mostly white state, where students hail from more than 40 countries. She considers herself lucky because she arrived in the United States already speaking English, which meant she could enroll in mainstream classes.

Still, the experience of moving to a new country sparked a keen interest in social justice.

“When I was in South Africa, all my problems were my problems and I thought the world revolved around me,” she said. “When I moved, I realized the world was really small… I learned more about American history, about racism.”  

Ngaliema’s move to Maine also occurred shortly after the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. She followed the story via social media, and America’s struggle with racism began coming into focus. “I took it upon myself to educate myself about the injustices happening in this country,” she said. She went on to lead the civil rights club at her high school during her senior year.

After graduating from high school, Ngaliema began attending Southern Maine Community College. A political science major, she brought her passion for social justice with her. So when she heard a professor speak about the Southern Poverty Law Center, it seemed like a natural fit.

“We needed a space, especially in this climate, where we could have conversations and listen, even if it was uncomfortable,” she said, adding that relating face-to-face is especially important in an era when many people express their opinions from the safety of their computers or mobile devices. “All you have online is capital letters and exclamations… It’s just not good for anybody. In person I can see [people’s] body language, hear their tone.”

The value of face-to-face dialogue was evident in the discussion of 13th. Some attendees had initially resisted the film’s premise but gradually came to see others’ points of view. And some gained a greater understanding of the issue’s complexity. While the audience may not have come to a consensus, thanks to Ngaliema and her SPLC on Campus group, they all emerged with their minds open a little wider.

Note: This article was written by Lynn Shattuck and produced by 500 Pens: An Anti-Hate News Project in partnership with the SPLC.

KKK set to rally in Charlottesville, VA, this weekend

A Ku Klux Klan rally is set to take place at Justice Park in Charlottesville, VA, this coming Saturday. The Loyal White Knights, a Klan group based in North Carolina, plans to protest the city’s decision to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In an effort to show both disapproval of the event and a sense of unity and strength in the community, there have been numerous alternative events scheduled. This method of non-engagement with the KKK demonstration directly allows the community to present a unified objection and proclamation of the value of such unity in diversity. The majority of protesters have often been shown to have good motives and peaceful intent, but the risk for escalation in circumstances like these is high. The Loyal White Knights and other like-minded groups feed off of the chaos caused by the collision of differing views, especially when protests become violent. Though peaceful protest is of course possible, the clearest way to oppose extremists is to divert attention away from them and their hateful message and onto the positive and inclusive environments created in its place. A message of community solidarity is then amplified by the empty streets surrounding them and the sound of their rhetoric being ignored. That is how you get their attention, that is how you make them listen, and that is how you tell them you don’t want them in your community.

Here is a complete list of alternative events in and around Charlottesville:

• The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and Jefferson School City Center will host a “Unity Day” (9:00am to 12:30pm) with coffee, outdoor meditation, and community discussions throughout the morning. Details are located on the Facebook event page here.

• The IX Art Park is hosting The People’s Picnic: Coming Together for Community. Food trucks, music and community art exhibitions from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Check the Facebook event page here.

• Unity C’ville will be a concert held at the Sprint Pavilion from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. And continued in the evening— “Grits & Gravy Dance Party” at The Jefferson Theater.
  Unity C’ville website has a listing of the day’s event.

• The Charlottesville Clergy Collective includes about 50 congregations from the area. On July 8, CCC will be at First United Methodist Church with a Hospitality Safe Space from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Safe space, prayer and music. They also plan to maintain a presence in Justice Park before and after the KKK rally. Their website discusses a number of actions past and upcoming.

• Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP is hosting a rally from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at Jack Jouett Middle School (210 Lambs Lane) to take a stand for justice, equality, and civil rights in the community.

In Portland publication, Outreach Director Lecia Brooks explains how emboldened white supremacists often "hide in plain sight"

Lecia Brooks, our Director of Outreach here at the Southern Poverty Law Center, recently spoke with Jared Paben of Street Roots about the uptick in hate and bias incidents, inflammatory rhetoric, and emboldened racists in the past year, especially since the election. Though the interview covers a multitude of issues. the particular focus is on the Portland train attack that happened last month, when a man named Jeremy Joseph Christian stabbed three people (two fatally) who stood up to him while he was harassing two teenage girls with anti-Muslim and racist slurs. When asked about how one reconciles the image of Portland as a "tolerant, liberal bulwark against the rising tide of hate" and the reality of a large prevalence of local hate crimes since the election, Lecia responded:

“Portland has made great strides in moving toward a more progressive side. I think that, generationally, you do have a large majority of progressive liberals in the area who are definitely against hate and bias. But, as I mentioned, the history goes pretty deep.... A number of adherents of the ideology moved from the South to the Pacific Northwest. As you know, the Pacific Northwest is very mono-racial. Portland is 70 percent white population. So what you find in those instances is that, oftentimes, white supremacists can hide in plain sight. ”

She then goes on to discuss free speech issues, the impact of hateful rhetoric and shifting demographics on incidents like these, and the work of the SPLC. The interview ends with a final exhortation, as Lecia calls on people to stand together:

“We certainly don’t want to encourage people to get in harm’s way, but we also do want people to stand up against hate. And if we do it together, united, we have a great chance of pushing back. We have to push back. We cannot allow hateful violence and rhetoric to become normalized. We need to marginalize people who are espousing these beliefs and not give them any credence. ”

Street Roots is a weekly publication based in Portland, OR, and the full article and interview can be found here.