This year, communities across the country found themselves overwhelmed by a number of crises—incidents of hate and violence, but also brutal natural disasters—testing neighborhoods everywhere.
But we also witnessed those same communities rise up to help the bereaved and stand up for their neighbors in times of great distress. From the destruction of Hurricane Sandy to the unimaginable grief of the residents of Oak Creek, WI, people rose up to defend others from both intolerance and offer neighborly support.
As we ring in the New Year, we want to remember those who did their part to stand up to injustice and to lend a helping hand. Thank you for helping us stop hate, together.Standing Up, Speaking Out
Blog
December 27, 2012 - 3:12pm
"I was just doing what I thought was right, and here I am on the stage at Warner Bros. Studio, being featured on the Season 10 premiere of the Ellen show and I’m within arm's reach of all these celebrities that are here to help me?"
By Richard W. Henegar Jr.
December 26, 2012 - 5:04pm
Slate: "Productive" Response to Kansas Hate Group
When the Westboro Baptist Church hate group announced that it would picket the funerals of the Newtown, CT shooting victims, many people were filled with outrage. In response, the cyberhacking group Anonymous hacked the website and Twitter pages of the WBC in a form of revenge. Slate writer Will Oremus states that there have been more productive responses to the Westboro Baptist Church, particularly the pro-tolerance counter protest of Gunn High School. This counter protest was effective because it worked to empower the students and strengthen the school’s values of acceptance and tolerance. Slate also featured our video, “Gunn High School Sings Away Hate Group,” below.
Talking to Your Kids About Newtown
December 20, 2012 - 5:54pm
Neo-Nazi attempts to rebuild compound in Idaho
Photo by Matt McKnight.
A man who studied under Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler is trying to rebuild a neo-Nazi compound in Idaho that was demolished more than a decade ago, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
But Shaun Patrick Winkler, 33, has likely already failed in that attempt for several reasons—the SPLC has found that Winkler has stopped making payments on the property and that it is going into foreclosure. Winkler has also “logged his property without permission” and “violated state land use rules.” He also ran for sheriff in the area and lost.
December 18, 2012 - 11:14am
From Oak Creek Patch: About 100 people attended a candlelight vigil Sunday night at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin for victims of the Newtown school shootings. Credit: Mark Schaaf
Oak Creek Stands for NewtownMass shootings are happening all too often across the country, and no one knows this better than the residents of those communities affected.
The residents of Oak Creek, WI, understand the pain these shootings cause—just four months ago, a white supremacist shot and killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.