Southern Poverty Law Center - People Who Care

We the People have just witnessed an historic moment in our nation's history - the election of our first African-American president, fulfilling a dream that many Americans never thought they would live to see. Barack Obama's ascension to the Presidency surely marks racial progress in the U.S., yet a rash of hate crimes and bias incidents in the wake of his election clearly show that America is far from being a 'post-racial' nation - where race no longer matters and where racism no longer exists. In the weeks following the election, an increased wave of hate incidents demonstrated quite clearly that race still matters in this country. According to the Secret Service, President-elect Obama has received more threats than any incoming president in history.

Hate in America is a dreadful, daily constant and bias is a human condition. American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other differences. The 20th century saw major progress in outlawing discrimination, and most Americans today support integrated schools and neighborhoods. But stereotypes and unequal treatment continues to persist and is often exploited by hate groups.

When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Race and religion inspire most hate crimes, but hate today wears many faces. According to FBI statistics, the greatest growth in hate crimes in recent years is against Asian Americans and the gay and lesbian community. These crimes involve violence far more often than other crimes. In a report published on 11.21.05, the data showed 84 percent of hate crimes were violent, meaning they involved a sexual attack, robbery, assault or murder. By contrast, just 23 percent of non-hate crimes involved violence.

The report also showed that 56 percent of hate crime victims identified race as the primary factor in the crimes they reported. Ethnicity accounted for another 29 percent of the total. Hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were 18 percent of the total. Given that the best studies indicate that 3 percent of the American population is homosexual, this means that gays and lesbians are victimized at six times the overall rate.

Once considered a Southern phenomenon, most hate crimes today are reported in the North and West. Daunting statistics show that somewhere in America:

  • Every hour -- someone commits a hate crime.
  • Every day -- at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews and one Latino become hate crime victims.
  • Every week -- a cross is burned.

These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Law enforcement officials acknowledge that hate crimes - similar to rape and family violence crimes - go under-reported, with many victims reluctant to go to the police. Even if victims where to report these incidents, some police agencies are not fully trained in recognizing or investigating hate crimes. While this information doesn't bode well for society as a whole, there is good news to report.

And the good news is ...
All over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it. Imagine, if you would, what a community or an entire nation, working together, might accomplish over time...

Show where you stand and add yourself to the map

Documented hate group

People standing strong against hate
(shaded by density)

© Copyright 2008 Southern Poverty Law Center


Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, SPLC is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups.

Located in Montgomery, Alabama - the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement - the Southern Poverty Law Center was founded by Morris Dees and Joe Levin, two local lawyers who shared a commitment to racial equality.

Throughout its history, SPLC has worked to make the nation's Constitutional ideals a reality. The SPLC legal department fights all forms of discrimination and works to protect society's most vulnerable members. Handling innovative cases that few lawyers were willing to take, it has achieved significant legal victories, including landmark Supreme Court decisions and crushing jury verdicts against hate groups.

To combat the causes of hate, SPLC in 1991 established Teaching Tolerance, an educational program to help K-12 teachers foster respect and understanding in the classroom. Teaching Tolerance is now one of the nation's leading providers of anti-bias resources - both in print and online. Its award-winning magazine is distributed free twice a year to more than 400,000 educators, and its innovative multimedia kits are provided at no charge to thousands of schools and community groups.

The Civil Rights Memorial, which celebrates the memory of those who died during the Civil Rights Movement, is located next to the Southern Poverty Law Center's offices. Designed by Vietnam Veterans Memorial creator Maya Lin, the striking black granite memorial draws thousands of visitors every year. The Memorial plaza is a contemplative area - a place to honor those killed during the struggle, to appreciate how far the country has come in its quest for equality, and to consider how far it has to go. A new Civil Rights Memorial Center, designed to enhance this experience, opened in October 2005.

© Copyright 2008 Southern Poverty Law Center