This summer, we joined the community of Oak Creek, Wisconsin as they came together on the one-year anniversary of a hate crime against the local Sikh community. Over the years, we have witnessed other faith communities targeted, whether it was synagogue arsons, a brutal attack on a Muslim mother, a mass shooting at a Unitarian church, and countless other instances that made people feel unsafe and unwelcome.

 

But our work has also shown us the power of people working together, which is why we’re proud to partner with United Religions Initiative’s Talking Back to Hate Campaign, along with many other organizations committed to countering hate speech, discrimination and bullying through education advocacy and positive action [2].

 

 

From URI: Hate speech, discrimination and bullying are global problems that can affect any of us. As people of many cultures, faiths and backgrounds, we're committing today to take specific steps to address hate and discrimination in our communities, and to work for a world where every person, regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion, culture, gender, orientation or ability, is treated with respect and is safe to be themselves.  

 

 

URI invites us all to pledge to Talk Back to Hate and take action on Sept. 21, the UN International Day of Peace. Click here to take the pledge. [3] 

 

Are you working to counter hate, bullying and discrimination, and encouraging positive speech and respectful dialogue in your community? Share your work here. [4]

 

 

See how communities have come together to support faith communities and talk back to hate in these Not In Our Town videos. These videos are a great way to start dialogue and also serve as inspiration for action. 

 

 

Faith communities can not only be targets of hate crimes, but they also serve an important role in our communities as we work to prevent and address hate and intolerance. We’re thrilled to share these ideas for actions by faith communities and interfaith groups from URI [11].