Communities Against Hate: New Resource Raises Visibility of Hate Crimes

A new initiative aims to to address what it describes as a “disturbing spike in hate incidents across the United States” with a database and hotline to help impacted communities and document the bigotry.

Communities Against Hate was led by The Leadership Conference Education Fund and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, working with nine other national organizations including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Color of Change, Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network, and National Network for Arab American Communities.

An interactive map shows communities coast to coast where people have already reported hate incidents. It documents, for example, incidents late last month when a Harrisburg, Penn. Jewish community center was forced to close because of a bomb threat and when a Wisconsin LGBT community center was vandalized for the third time in two months.

Users can submit an incident that happened to them or that they witnessed on the reporting page, which states: “By reporting your story here, you are helping to connect and amplify incidents of hate across communities in the United States, empowering others to feel less alone, and encouraging them to share their stories. Public sharing changes how people talk about violence and harassment and pushes society towards solutions.”

The initiative also encourages the use of the hotline 1-844-9-NO-HATE (1-844-966-4283) to help victims access support through legal resources and social services.