GED IN ENGLISH
Hate-Related Incidents in the United States;
Three Strategies to Resist Act of Violence
Anatole Ngassam
The Southern Poverty Law
Center, which tracks hate
crimes nationwide, documented
a total of 1,863 hate-related
incidents between Novem-
ber 9 and March 31, 2017, of
which 330 occurred on college
campuses” (Jeremy Bauer-
Wolf). In the article “Racist
Incidents at Colleges Abound
as Academic Year Begins,”
Bauer-Wolf attracts people’s
attention to the increase of
hate-related incidents in the
United States and particu-
larly on college campuses.
This kind of racially moti-
vated behavior deeply rooted
in American society is becom-
ing the “new norm” and is very
difficult to solve. However,
the article discusses that there
are three effective strategies
to resist hate-related inci-
dents: first, the use of specific
education models to promote
diversity, tolerance, inclusion,
and acceptance; next, the use
of specific bystander inter-
vention strategies to promote
the “community of respon-
sibility” model, and finally,
the creation of alternative
Targeted people from minority strategies to draw people’s
groups and immigrant fami- attention away from hate.
lies are assaulted by white
nationalists who do not appre- One way to resist hate-re-
ciate the impact of diversity lated incidents in American
and the value of inclusion society is to use a specific
in the American society. education model to promote
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diversity, tolerance, inclusion,
and acceptance. Discrimina-
tion is learned at early age,
often at home. An 8 year old
child is naturally curious about
people who are different, is
aware of the skin color differ-
ences, and already has a percep-
tion that “white” is desirable.
At age of 12, the child can hold
stereotypes about ethnic, racial,
and religious groups, or LGBT
people. Because stereotypes
underlie hate, and because
young people commit hate-re-
lated crimes, teaching tolerance
is critical. Schools can offer
lessons in those issues and are
ideal environments to counter
them because schools mix chil-
dren of different backgrounds,
place them on equal footing, and
allow one-on-one interaction.