ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE:
A CAMPUS GUIDE
2ND EDITION
THERE IS NO UNIVERSITY WITHOUT DIVERSITY!
UNITED STATES STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
STUDENT OF COLOR CAMPUS DIVERSITY PROJECT
STUDENT OF COLOR
CAMPUS DIVERSITY
Take Affirmative Action! is an education, organizing, and media campaign to preserve and expand affirmative action and equal opportunity programs on
college campuses. Through this project, the USSA
Foundation provides students with education materials, organizing trainings, and on-going advice and assistance needed to preserve affirmative action and
address the issues of bias related violence and campus safety. We also work with leading national civil
rights groups to accomplish our goals.
Through working with campus, state, and national student-run campaigns, the Student of Color Campus
Diversity Project (SOCCDP) of the U.S. Student
Association helps student of color activists and our
allies win concrete improvements for communities
of color. The Campus Diversity Project works to:
1) collect and analyze studies and research on topics affecting student of color access to college,
including providing talking points and information
about federal legislation for grassroots campaigns involving communities of color,
PROJECT
Acknowledgments
The USSA Foundation gratefully acknowledges the
support of Americans for a Fair Chance, the Ms.
Foundation for Women, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock for this
project. The opinions expressed herein do not
necessarily reflect the views of these contributors.
Many kudos and gracious bows to the USSA interns who helped in making this possible with
hours of research, writing, typing, and editing: Prasi
Gupta, Paz Oliverez, Jon Salunga, Smeeta
Mahanti, and Ali Fischer. Special thanks to I. Vicky
Rateau, SOCS&PD director (1996-1998), Meryl
Webster, SOCS&PD director (1994-96), and
GROW coordinator Júlio Rosa (1995-97), who began the bias related violence project. And extra
special thanks to Kimi Lee, former Executive Director for the University of California Student Association, for Meetings and Actions.
2) strategize with student of color activists on how to carry out and win campaigns, and
Created as the Recruitment and Retention Project of People of Color in Higher Education in 1990, the
Student of Color Campus Diversity Project works with student activists to increase the recruitment and
retention of communities of color in higher education and on their campus.
The United States Student Association is the country’s oldest and largest national student organization, representing more than 3 million students at colleges, universities and community colleges around
the country. Founded in 1947, USSA represents the student voice on Capitol Hill, in the White House and in
the Department of Education.
Copyright © United States Student Association Foundation, 2002.
Student of Color Campus Diversity Project
United States Student Association Foundation
1413 K Street, NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
tel. (202)347-USSA
fax. (202)393-5886
email. cdp@usstudents.org
web: www.usstudents.org
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Hate Crime: (n.) Any criminal act in which biased motive is a clear contributing factor.
Hate Incident: (n.) Any act, including conduct, speech, or expression, in which biased motive is a clear contributing factor. Hate incidents do not have to include a criminal act.
-Based on definitions by the National Center for Hate Crime Prevention, Education Development Center, Inc.
Note on language: USSA and the Student of Color Campus Diversity Project will use the terms hate and bias
interchangeably in this manual. For instance, hate incidents and bias incidents are interchangeable.
Dear Student Activist,
Several years ago, Meryl Webster, the Student of Color Strategy and Policy Department (SOCS&PD) Director
at the time, and Julio Rosa, then GROW Coordinator, collaborated on a project aimed at helping students organize
against hate and bigotry on campuses. Given the rise in hate incidents on college, community college, and university
campuses, there has been since then a growing body of manuals and information aimed at ending hate crimes. Local,
state, and national efforts to combat hate crimes have heightened people’s education awareness about the issues.
Yet, such incidents are often still perceived as “isolated” incidents or “meaningless pranks.”
Students across the country have fought against that perception of hate incidents, linking hate incidents on
campus to the declining retention rates of students of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other targeted
groups. They have also recognized that hate crimes and hate incidents often are symptom’s of a larger problem at their
universities—lack of tenured faculty from traditionally excluded communities, lack of ethnic studies and diversity courses,
the attack on affirmative action, and more.
This second edition of what was first the “Organizing Against Bias Related Violence Manual” is dedicated to
students organizing against hate, and to students who want to learn more about how to make our campuses safe for all
students. USSA believes that safe and hate-free campuses are part of expanding access to higher education. If
students don’t feel safe studying in the library, walking to our dorms alone, countering bigoted statements made in
classrooms, than we have not yet reached our vision of higher education as a right—and not just a privilege for those
who are not targeted by hate incidents.
Several gruesome murders have hurled the issue of hate crimes into the national spotlight. Hearing about
Matthew Shephard and James Byrd’s horrific murders were a rude awakening for some, reminding people that we are
not yet at a “level playing field” when it comes to deep seeded bigotry and discrimination. But for every incident that is
covered by the national media, there are many more that go unreported and unrecognized as hate crimes and hate
incidents. This manual is also dedicated to those who do not feel safe reporting incidents, with the vision that only
through the efforts of organized students and community can we finally stop the proliferation of hate on our campuses.
We at USSA hope this manual will help build and sustain organizing against hate on campus, and look forward
to celebrating our victories in this continuous fight.
In solidarity,
Nicholas Centino
Director, Student of Color Campus Diversity Project
A CAMPUS GUIDE
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION !
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
INTRODUCTION
Background and Purpose
The Student of Color Campus Diversity Project
(SOCCDP pronounced “sock D P”) works with students to address the problem of bias related violence on our campuses and in our communities.
Because hate-motivated violence and incidents on
campus create an unsafe and unwelcome environment, such actions prevent many students from having equal access to a quality education.
Together, the SOCDP and the GrassRoots Organizing Weekend (GROW) Project work with students who are invested in making our campuses a
safer place for ALL students. When organized, students are a formidable force.
Students organizing against bias related violence
can depend on the SOCCDP to provide them with
the latest, most detailed information on bias related
violence, technical assistance for campaigns
against bias related crimes, and organizing trainings
that give students the tools to strengthen coalitions
necessary to develop effective strategies, skills to
develop leaders to win positive change on campus.
Student organizers can also work with the
SOCCDP collecting reports of hate crimes and statistics in order to better document the problem of
bias related violence on college campuses and advocate for legislative changes.
For more information on the Student of Color Campus Diversity Project or to register your organization in the National Student of Color Activist Network, contact us at 202-347-8772 or
cdp@usstudents.org.
"
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
Organizing a Campaign
The goal for producing this manual is to help college and university students and campus communities respond appropriately to hate group activity
and incidents of bias motivated violence. Many civil
rights organizations have produced excellent organizing manuals for organizing against hate. This
manual is in no way intended to compete with the
more detailed and analytical publications available,
but rather should serve as a supplement guide for
students. Whereas other manuals are intended for
organizing within local communities, this manual focuses on bias motivated incidents in college and
university settings where incidents of hate are increasing. The United States Student Association
and the USSA Foundation encourage students to
use the resource section of this manual and the
materials these organizations offer to supplement
this one in planning their campaign.
Part One of this manual guides users through an
overview of bias related violence, the extent and complexity of the problem, the impact on different communities, and existing laws and policies regarding
bias motivated violence
Part Two details ways to organize against hate
crimes, why students should be concerned about
hate crimes, and possible responses or solutions.
Part Three guides organizers toward essential organizing knowledge and provides a how-to guide
for each possible component of a campaign.
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE
1. What’s in a Hate Crimes Campaign?
Strategy Chart
Myths vs. Facts
PAGE #
6
8
2. Gathering Information
What are Hate Incidents and Crimes?
Researching School and State Policies
How Should Administrators Respond?
Collecting Campus Crime Statistics
Campus Crime Laws that Affect Students
Violence Against LGBT People
Violence Against People of Color
Millitarism and Hate Crimes: S.11
Violence Against Women
Resources
PART TWO
3. Holistic Solutions
Affirmative Action and Equal Access Programs
Faculty and Staff of Color
Campus Codes and Policies
Resident Advisor and Staff Training
First Year Orientation Programs
Curricular Reform
First Aid Against Hate: 10 Things You Can Do
PART THREE
4. Planning Your Campaign
What Are Your Demands? Campaign Goals
Using the Campaign to Build Your Organization
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11
13
13
14
15
17
18
20
23
26
26
27
30
30
31
33
34
35
5. Mobilizing People
Why Should Students Get Involved?
Recruitment
Keeping Students in Your Campaign
Leadership Development
Constituents and Allies
Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Organizing
Building Coalitions
37
38
42
43
45
46
47
6. On Target
Who is a Target? What are Tactics?
Forums and Teach-Ins
Meetings/ Actions
Petitions, Phone-Ins and Fax-Ins
Accountability Sessions
Rallies and Speakouts
Vigils
Application to Host a GROW
52
53
57
58
59
61
62
64
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION #
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
STRATEGY CHART:
WHAT’S IN
The Issue
USING A STRATEGY CHART
EXAMPLE:
LONG TERM:
One tool for organizers is the
strategy chart. Created by the
Midwest Academy, this tool is
used by millions of people who
carry out successful organizing campaigns, making concrete and positive changes in
people’s lives.
Lately at our school there has
been a dramatic rise in personal
attacks which have left many concerned about student safety.
A safe and accessible campus
for all students.
Three assaults have been reported within the last month, and
many in the campus community
are anxious and scared of being
victims of attack. Located in the
city, our campus is openly accessible to people off campus. The
incidences all occurred during the
evening at various campus sites.
Resource center with two fulltime
staff and a budget to coordinate
educational bias-prevention programs, as well as develop and
maintain a system for hate
crimes reporting.
Planning a campaign takes resources, clear targets, realistic goals, and honest identification of constituents, allies,
and opponents. This chart
helps you map out your campaign, taking into consideration
what your organization will
gain from a successful campaign and what tactics you will
use to reach your goal.
The campaign mapped out
here is one example of students working to make our
campuses and communities
free of hate and bigotry.
$
Goals
The most serious of these incidences involved an assault on a
first-year Asian American student
walking home from studying.
The campus paper quickly publicized the story and the next week,
the Associated Student Government meeting was packed with
concerned students.
INTERMEDIATE:
SHORT TERM:
Training for campus police focusing on hate crimes, sexual assault
and harrassment.
In the process of talking and
brainstorming, a coalition was
formed called SHOC Stop Hate
On Campus. We have actively
been working to demand a Multicultural Resource Center with
two full time paid staff to coordinate bias-prvention programming
on campus and in the community and hate crimes reporting for
students faculty and staff. Although campus safety and crime
prevention should be a key concern for the administration, we
have had great difficulty in gaining university support.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
A
HATE CRIMES CAMPAIGN?
Consituencies, Allies,
and Opponents
Organizational
Considerations
Targets
PRIMARY TARGET:
RESOURCES:
CONSTITUENTS:
• Cecilia: 20 hours a week
• Vou: 2 hours every Tuesday.
• Danielle: works in the campus
police department as a work
study employee
• Alex: resident assistant, can
work 15 hours a week.
• 12 volunteers
• $500
• 2 phones
• 1 fax
• 3 computers with PageMaker,
Photoshop, and MSWord
• email access
• 1 scanner
• 1 videocamera
• Middlesbury College students
• Women’s center
• Lesbian/gay/bisexual/
transgender center
• Asian women’s collective
• Sororities and fraternities
• Student safety awareness program
• College resident advisors
• Staff and faculty senate
• Disabled student union
• International students league
• Community service groups
• Black student union
• MEChA: el Movimiento
Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan
• Native American Student Union
Chancellor Woods, whose recommendations in the university
budget ensure certain programs
will receive funding.
SECONDARY:
Local and regional press. Chancellor Woods’ biggest worry is
negative press on the university,
especially given that part of the
university’s mission is to provide
a quality and safe learning environment for state residents.
Tactics
ORGANIZATIONAL GAINS:
ALLIES:
We want 20 more volunteers and
to raise $600 from outside supporters for future campaigns
PROBLEMS:
The campaign could take longer
than a year, yet there are no new
leaders developed to take on the
campaign.
•
•
•
•
•
Women’s Studies Department
Neighborhood watch
Citizens council
Campus police
Parent councils
OPPONENTS:
Vice Chancellor Kaska who opposes increases in bugeted
items, especially new programs.
A CAMPUS GUIDE
• Organizational presentations
on campus safety issues
• Article in campus paper
• Postcard/petition drive addressed to targets
• Day of action and rally
• Fax-in to targets
• Schedule meeting with the
Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor
• Create a video of unsafe locations on campus (dark places,
places with inadequate lighting)
• Armbands for student solidarity and visibility
• Flyering
• Candle light vigil
• Threaten enrollment of
freshpersons by advertising
how unsafe the campus is
• Attack school reputation to influence Vice Chancellor.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION %
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
MYTHS VS. FACTS
Myth: Hate crimes don’t affect my campus.
Fact: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified schools and
college campuses as the 3rd most common place for hate crimes to occur.
If people are under the impression that hate crimes and hate incidents don’t happen
on your campus, it may be more an indication of how unsafe people feel in reporting
hate crimes. It may also be possible that the administration and media do not
encourage the notification of students when a hate incident occurs for fear of hurting the reputation of the school.
Myth: People who commit hate incidents just want attention—they don’t really mean to harm.
Fact: People who perpetrate hate crimes are trying to drive people away
from a campus or community, and that purpose alone does cause harm
to those who are the target of the hate.
In addition, hate incidents, if un-addressed, often escalate into hate crimes. When
they do hit the hate crime level, crimes with a bias tend to involve more excessive
violence on the victim, tend to have multiple offenders, and have a greater psychological trauma to the victims. According to a Northeastern University study, hate
crime incidents are four times as likely to involve hospitalization than do their other
criminal counterparts. (Levin, Brian. “Does American Need a Federal Hate-Crime Law?”
Insight. November 23, 1998.)
Myth: Hate crimes only effect one person on campus, so I don’t need to
worry.
Fact: People who spread hate are trying to send a message: You and
people like you don’t belong on this campus or in this community because of your color, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or
other identifying characteristic.
The purpose is to send a message to the entire community of people, not just the
direct victim. For many, even those outside of the targeted community, hate crimes
signal a dangerous intent to divide and conquer many communities.
&
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Myth: Anti-hate crime laws and anti-hate policies give “special
protection” to certain groups and not others.
Fact: Those who support comprehensive hate crime and
hate incident laws are asking for equal protection, not special protection.
Most policies account for bias against a person because of their
race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, or disability. This includes
all races, all sexual orientations—including heterosexuals, all religious—including Christian or Anglo-Saxon, and all genders—including men.
Myth: Reprimanding people who commit hate incidents goes
against first amendment rights of free expression.
Fact: The first amendment protects speech, but does NOT
protect “fighting words” that cause hostile or physical reactions and violence.
In such cases, language that causes a person to feel threatened,
intimidated, or coerced may be deemed the equivalent of conduct.
Since the first amendment protects speech, not conduct, hate incidents that involve threatening and intimidating speech may be under
the censure of the law. Other situations that are not under the first
amendment protection for speech include words used which tend to
prove discriminatory motive in situations like housing and employment, or language that is used to verbally harass another in a “confined environment,” like a workplace or a school.
A CAMPUS GUIDE
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION '
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
GATHERING INFORMATION
What are Hate Incidents and Crimes?
The National Center for Hate Crime Prevention defines hate incidents as any act of
conduct, speech, or express where a bias motive is a contributing factor. Hate
incidents can include verbal harassment, ridicule, threats, insults and ethnic slurs,
symbolic graffiti and explicit threats or insults conveyed by mail or phone. Hate
incidents do not have to be crimes under the law-- they can be any harassing activity
that is bias-motivated.
Hate incidents are a type of act in which violence is directly motivated by ignorance.
Such actions are meant to send a threatening message to people based on their
race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Hate incident activities
are not tracked by the government, because such incidents do not have to be criminal
in nature. Often advocacy and community groups keep statistics on noncriminal
hate activity.
Not only are victims of hate incidents physically affected as an individual, but the
emotional and psychological harm caused by hate incidents have a devastating
impact on both the individual and his or her community. Students have transferred
or dropped out of school because of constant harassment.
Hate crimes are a type of hate incident that involves a violation of the law. These
include crimes against people as well as on property.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Researching School and State Policies
To run an effective campaign against bias related violence, you should be familiar
with your school and state provisions on campus safety and hate incidents as well
as the ways they are implemented. Student conduct codes, discrimination and
hate incident statutes, and methods for implementation vary from school to school
and state to state. This section will quickly help guide you in your investigation and
research of policies and programs before launching a campaign.
1. Request campus safety and crime policies and statistics from your dean
or administrator for student affairs. Campuses are required by federal aw to
provide this information to the campus community. Make sure your campus
policies comply with state hate crime laws. In the 1998 reauthorization of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress passed provisions mandating that
schools collect and report statistics on hate crimes by category of prejudice
(race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability) as well as by
where the crime was committed (dormitory, on campus, or off campus).
2. Research state statutes on hate crimes and campus crime. Such laws and
statutes can be found in your local library, or by contacting the state attorney
general’s office.
3. Do background research on services and statistics provided by offices
focusing on services for targeted communities. Places to go are the
women’s resource center, student of color organizations, multicultural centers,
college dean’s office, lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender organizations, differently
abled student service offices, and student health services. You’ll want to gather
information on: a) services they provide for victims of hate incidents and
discrimination, such as statistical documentation and counseling, b) programs
they sponsor for the purpose of educating and eliminating bias attitudes, c)
perspectives on hate crimes and what has been done to address this problem,
and d) trainings that are provided for resident advisors, faculty, and staff in
responding and preventing hate incidents.
4. Set up a meeting with campus police or security. Discuss how the school’s
policies on campus crime are implemented and problems or successes the
campus police have encountered.
5. Contact the USSA office to find out about current campus safety laws and
a perspective from the national level.
A CAMPUS GUIDE
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION Examples of Hate Incidents
•
An African American female student sits down at a table in the library. At the
other end, a group of students who had been sitting there begin making ethnic
jokes and directing racist slurs at her. She leaves, angry, hurt and badly upset.
She never returns to the library alone after that incident.
•
A gay male comes out in an intimate conversation to his two roommates who
become verbally and physically abusive upon learning of his sexual orientation.
•
A group of Asian American students are beat up outside a restaurant by white
students while security guards stand by and watch.
•
Racist literature was sent to the office of a black student group at the University
of Colorado at Boulder and a derogatory message aimed at a Native American
organization was written on a message board at the office.*
•
At Stanford, University of California at Irvine, Manchester Colleges, and California State University, threatening and hateful e-mails were sent to students of
color and other targeted groups.*
Even though the first example doesn’t include physical violence of any sort, the
impact and harm it can have on the victim or survivor can be devastating. Often
times such incidents of speech and expression can escalate to violent actions.
(*Source: Hate on Campus 1998. Intelligence Project, The Southern Poverty Law Center.)
Who Reports Incidents?
Practically no one. In 1992, a study of surveys conducted at various colleges and
universities on the topic of hate incidents showed that 80% to 94% of students
make no report to any school official. These rates are substantially higher than in
the National Crime Survey done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1990), but are
consistent with other evidence involving gender or ethno-violence. For example, a
New York Times/CBS poll (October 11, 1991) revealed that 87% of women harassed at work do not report it.
Three central sets of reasons are given by students for not reporting what happened. First, most cite that the incident was not serious or important. This is often
a form of denial or detachment. Second, students believe that formal authorities
could not or would not do anything to remedy the situation. Third, students fear
retaliation by the perpetrator, or they fear that reporting the incident would only create more trouble and embarrassment for them.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
For institutions who are mandated to track and report campus hate crimes, the
Chronicle of Higher Education found that in 1998, only a third of the colleges in the
487 colleges listed hate crime as a category on their campus crime reports. Only a
handful reported a hate crime incident on their campus. Max L. Bromley, an associate professor of criminology at the University of South Florida commented that
“there is a hesitancy to link it back. You don’t want to be labeled as a racist institution.” Fear of bad press, harm to a school’s reputation, ignorance of mandatory
reporting, and confusion over reporting processes are all reasons that few institutions recognize hate crimes on campuses.
How Should Administrators Respond?
College and university administrators have a responsibility to act quickly and efficiently to condemn acts of hatred and violence on campus. Administrators play an
important role in creating a harassment-free environment for all students, and should
find solutions to acts of bigotry and hatred.
Institutions should establish a written anti-harassment campus policy stating that
any action targeting an individual based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion,
and disability will not be tolerated. Without such a specific written statement, the
university will not be accountable for incidents that occur on campus.
Campus policies and procedures to address hate crimes should engage students
in evaluating the school’s services on hate incidents. Students need to offer changes
and additions to existing campus policies. (See sections on Solutions.)
Collecting Campus Crime Statistics
It is currently federal law that campus codes and campus crime statistics include
the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Annual statistics on crime incidents and campus law enforcement policies
Crimes reported by geographic site: dormitory, on-campus, off-campus
Statistics reported by category of prejudice: race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability
Statistics reported by category of crime: violent crime, murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assaults, non-forcible sex offenses, and property
crimes (burglary, arson, motor vehicle theft)
Security education, crime prevention programs, and alcohol and drug policies
Sexual assault education and prevention programs
Procedures reporting assaults and explaining how reports of sexual assaults
will be dealt with
Timely warning to campus community about crimes that are considered to represent a threat to other students and employees
A CAMPUS GUIDE
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION !
Campus Crime Laws that Affect Students
A recent General
Accounting Office
(March, 1997) study
revealed that one of
the principal problems of campus
crime reporting is
that most colleges
omit information on
hate crimes in their
annual security
reports. The main
reason quoted was
that the U.S.
Department of
Education did not
alert colleges of this
requirement in the
Campus Awareness
and Campus
Security Act.
The GAO study also
identified eight
states that require
public access to
campus police and
security department
records on reported
crimes: California,
Massachusetts,
Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Virginia,
and West Virginia.
Campus Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires that colleges receiving federal financial aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 publish and distribute an annual report on campus crime. The reports are to include:
• campus law enforcement policies,
• prevention measures and education programs that the institution provides
• providing campus statistics regarding crime and sexual assault,
• alcohol and drug policies,
• procedures for reporting crimes,
• the process through which reported crimes are addressed, and
• annual statistics on campus crime.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the disclosure of
personally identifiable information from education records, such as transcripts,
grades, courses taken, documentation of attendance, and social security number.
However, despite widespread misunderstanding, FERPA can not be invoked to prevent disclosure of disciplinary action or crimes perpetuated by students. Information regarding disciplinary actions taken against students may be shared, without
prior consent, with officials at other education institutions. Also, colleges may release records, without prior consent, to comply with certain law enforcement judicial orders and subpoenas.
The Hate Crime Prevention Act (HCPA) of 1999, proposed as HR 1082/S 622 in the
106th Congress, would take away the burden on investigators to prove that a hate
crime occurred while the victim was engaged in a federally protected act. It would
also add sexual orientation, gender, and disability to categories of prejudice that
constitute a hate crime. With this bill, the federal government could intervene, for
example, if a university could not or would not prosecute one student in a crime
committed against another student. At the time of print, the Senate passed the
Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations Bill. The House is set to hold hearings on the bill soon. Contact
USSA for the most current update on hate crimes legislation.
Though the HCPA, renamed the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, received
a majority of votes in both houses of Congress, it failed to become law in the 106th
Congress. Call USSA for an update on the status of Hate Crimes legislation in the
107th Congress. (Updated 2/01)
"
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Violence Against Lesbian, Gays, Bisexuals,
Transgender People
Hate crimes against lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people continue to
rise throughout the U.S. despite reported decreases in crime generally. Anti-lesbian/
gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) violence rose nationally by 6% in 1996, and a total
of 2,529 anti-LGBT were documented by the National Coalition for Anti-Violence
Program’s (NCAVP’s) fourteen national tracking programs. Eighty-seven percent of
victims reporting identified as gay or lesbian, 8% identified as bisexual, 3% as heterosexual, and 2% as questioning.
There has been an increase in the number of anti-LGBT crimes reported to the local
police due in part to the advocacy in the criminal justice system and assistance
provided by anti-violence programs to victims. Nonetheless, the rate of reporting is
still less than the national reporting average of 48% for all violent crime given by the
Department of Justice. Much of this disparity can be attributed to the lesbian and
gay community’s long history of distrust of the police, a problem also seen within
campus communities.
The most common reason cited by victims for not reporting an anti-lesbian/gay
incident to law enforcement officials is fear of mistreatment: Victims fear insensitive or hostile response, physical abuse by the police, or public disclosure of their
sexual orientation. The problem of under-reporting of bias crime is greater among
lesbians for a number of reasons. Women are subjected to excessive sexist harassment -“a continuous stream of harassment on the streets because of their
gender” -which often conditions women to accept harassment as usual behavior
and to bear the burden of pain alone.
In 1997, sexual
orientation made
up close to 14% of
all bias motivated
offenses reported
to the FBI.
Not seeing an incident as “serious enough” is the primary reason given by lesbians
to bias crime reporting and tracking agencies for not reporting a sexist or anti-lesbian incident to local organizations or the police. Moreover, it is frequently difficult
for lesbians/bisexual women to discern if an incident was motivated by anti-woman
bias, anti-lesbian bias, or both. The majority of anti-lesbian incidents are perpetrated by men. Many victims mistakenly believe it is only appropriate to seek assistance from and document incidents with lesbian/gay anti-violence organizations
when the offense is clearly only from an anti-lesbian bias.
To address many of the factors impeding reporting of LGBT bias crime on college
campuses, students are encouraged to take an inventory of places open to LGBT
students. For instance, where among college offices and services are there comfortable environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students? Are
there staff or organizations to whom students can report LGBT bias crimes without
fear of retaliation or further harassment and discrimination?
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U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION #
Though many of us can point to personal or public there are also a number that go
unreported. For instance, in 1997, states like Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi
did not report a single hate crime incident, regardless of bias motive. These statistics specifically affect the LGBT community because 1) most local police officers
and campus police officers have never received specific training in identifying bias
related crimes and 2) few local law enforcement officials possess the additional
skills and knowledge required to respond appropriately to anti-lesbian/gay crime.
Some local personnel are even reluctant to classify crimes as hate crimes because
they wish to avoid the additional work, negative community sentiment, and poor
public relations that often accompany bias crime incidents. In addition, several
local law enforcement agencies apply unrealistic and excessively rigid criteria to the
classification of anti-lesbian/gay crimes.
(Source: National Coalition for Anti-Violence Programs, Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Violence in 1996. Hate Crime Statistics 1997, Uniform Crime Reports from the
U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation.)
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Violence Against People of Color
Although incidents of most types of violent crimes have decreased in the past 6
years, there have been increases in the number of hate crimes and arsons. Extremist movements are gaining in numbers and prominence, and their targets range
from people of color communities to the federal government. Unfortunately, public
debate over social policy issues - from affirmative action to immigration to welfare is used by public officials to divide us from one another and exacerbate the racial
tensions. Social problems of all kinds are exacerbated by the economic anxieties
prompted by corporate downsizing, stagnant wages, and vanishing health coverage and benefits. In such an environment, hate crimes persist as expressions of
hatred, alienation, and
an effort to intimidate
Percentage of race motivated hate crimes
and demean those per(based on reports to FBI in 1997)
ceived as a threat to the
Anti-Multioffenders’ own status.
Anti-Asian/
racial Group Anti-American
Pacific
Indian/
5%
Our nation’s leaders
Islander
Alaskan Native
took initial steps in rec7%
1%
ognizing the urgency of
a national hate crimes
Anti-White
problem with the pas21%
sage in 1990 of the Hate
Anti-Black
Crimes Statistics Act
66%
(HCSA) and its Reauthorization in 1996. De- Note: Anti-Latino/a or Chicano/a hate crimes were not reported in the race category in 19
spite the passage of HCSA and other recent legislation, hate crimes persist in many
institutions and virtually every state in the nation. These crimes have ranged from
physical violence to arson and vandalism. Appalling as it is, however, the searing
image of burning churches stands for an even larger problem: the persistence of
violent crimes against virtually every racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minority, as
well as against women. Also, backlash over recent controversial issues such as
immigration, welfare, and the languages used in public places - issues that strike at
the heart of America’s identity as a diverse and inclusive society - has increased the
incidence of hate crimes against Latinos, Asian Pacific Americans, and others who
are stereotyped, often inaccurately, as newcomers to this country.
To be sure, hate
crimes are symptoms of a host of
social ills. For all
of the progress
our nation has
made in civil and
human rights,
bigotry in all forms
still exists.
To be sure, hate crimes are symptoms of a host of social ills. For all of the progress
our nation has made in civil and human rights, bigotry in all forms still exists. And
discrimination is a continuing reality in many areas of American life, including the
workplace. The barriers against women and minorities often reflect the crudest and
cruelest discrimination. To suffer discrimination is already a devastating experience, but when compounded by violence motivated by hate — and it has been
found that hate crimes are much more likely than other crimes to be acts of brutal
violence — the impact is multiplied.
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U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION %
Perpetrators are most likely to be marauding predators looking for targets for their
hatred. However, they can also be acquaintances, intimate partners or family members. Because the intention is to hurt, maim, or kill, hate-motivated crimes are five
times as likely as other crimes to involve assault. And these assaults are twice as
likely as other assaults to cause injury and to result in hospitalization. In this diverse society, all of us are members of one minority or another - racial, religious,
ethnic, cultural, national origin, sexual. That is why so many of us are vulnerable to
hate crimes, and why violence motivated by bigotry has targeted so many different
segments of society: African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Pacific Americans;
Jewish Americans and Arab and Middle Eastern American, Native Americans and
recent immigrants, women and men, and gays and lesbians, to name just a few.
[Source: Cause for Concern: Hate Crimes in America, Leadership Conference Education
Fund leadership Conference on Civil Rights. (January 1997). Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes, Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights and the National
Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)]
Unfounded myths
about affirmative
action, including
an assumption
that affirmative
action recipients
are somehow
unqualified,
contributes to
increased bias
against students
of color.
Hate Crimes and the Affirmative Action Debate
The backlash against affirmative action has created a hostile environment for people
of color on college campuses nationwide. Unfounded myths about affirmative action, including an assumption that affirmative action recipients are somehow unqualified, contributes to students of color not feeling welcome on campus.
Affirmative action policies help establish an institution’s commitment to providing
access and equality in higher education. Without such active anti-discrimination
policies, qualified students of color will continue to be harassed denied admission to
colleges and universities.
Militarism and Hate Crimes: S. 11
The “war on terrorism” like previous military campaigns of the U.S. in the middle
east have engendered a rise in hate violence and bigotry towards people of Arab,
South and West Asian descent, Muslims and Sikh Americans as well as increased
racial profiling by police and other government agencies. [Note: “Middle East” is a
term used by western countries, not necessarily a self-identified term used by the
people it refers to. We will use Arab, West and South Asian here.]
Hate violence, discrimination and defamation of Arab and West/ South Asian Americans is widespread and permeate the workplace, the media, our schools, and government agencies. We have seen the institutionalization of policies which adversely
impact the Arab and West/ South Asian American community, thus compounding
the problem of anti-Arab discrimination and bias related violence. These policies
were generally adopted as a result of high-profile tragedies and crises, such as the
1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the TWA Flight 800 crash, and the attack on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
&
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
There is also a direct correlation between times of national crisis, such as the U.S.
Bombing of Libya in the 1980’s and the 1991 Gulf War, and the incidence of antiArab hate crimes and discrimination. This type of bigotry is also shown against
Japanese Americans during WWII with the Japanese American internment camps
and hate violence and discrimination against Chinese Americans based on U.S.
perceptions of China as with the Wen Ho Lee case. Unfortunately many immigrants are being help indefinitely without due process or respect for human rights.
Law enforcement agencies, the media, the public, politicians, and terrorism “experts” have repeatedly-- and often mistakenly-- rushed to lay blame for national
tragedies and crises on Arabs, Muslims, people perceived to be of Middle Eastern
origin with little regard for the dangerous repercussions of such speculations on the
Arab and West/ South Asian American community. Discriminatory anti-terrorism
and immigration policies undermine the civil rights of people of Arab and South
Asian descent as well as all immigrants. They also serve to legitimize anti-Arab
hostility and encourage bigotry against Arab people and West/South Asians.
On campuses, the hostility and bigotry against Arabs, legitimized by media and
politicians, is played out as students from homogenous backgrounds come into
contact with Arab and South/ West Americans and Muslims, often for the first time
in their lives. Symbolic of a bigger problem in U.S. society, yet ignored in public
discourse on race and ethnicity; bigotry and hate crimes against Arab and West/
South Asian Americans is hardly ever addressed due in large part to ignorance
about Arab Americans, West/ South Asian, and Muslim and Sikh communities.
Hate crime statistics on the number of incidents, offenses, victims, and offenders
are categorized by race, religion, or sexual orientation of the victim, as well as by the
race of the perpetrator. However, these statistics do not include a category for Arab
Americans because currently they fall “White” or the “Other” ethnic and racial categories used by federal and local agencies. Without documentation, it seems as if
there are no hate crimes against Arab and Middle Eastern Americans. Even though
law enforcement agencies document hate crimes on the basis of religion and, thus,
have an “anti-Islamic” category for bias motivation, 1) there is a gross undercounting
of anti-Muslim incidents and 2) a separate Arab category is necessary. Contrary to
popular belief, Arab and Muslim are not interchangeable terms. Not all Muslims are
Arabs; and not all Arabs are Muslim. In fact, Arabs are a minority in the Muslim
world, and a substantial minority of Arabs are Christian. A clear distinction between
faith and ethnicity must be made and hate crimes against Arabs and West/ South
Asian Americans of all denominations and religions should be reported.
(Source: 1996-97 Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination Against Arab Americans, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.)
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Violence Against Women
There is an increasing recognition in society that assaults against women are not
just “random” acts of violence. Instead, like other hate crimes, assaults against
women are systematic violations of women’s civil rights. One critical first step by the
federal government in acknowledging the extremity of these crimes, was the passage of the bi-partisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994. With passage
of the new law, Congress began to acknowledge that acts of rape, sexual assault,
domestic violence, and other forms of violent victimization of women are potential
acts of discrimination against women as a group. VAWA included a provision allowing civil rights lawsuits for gender-based violence. VAWA was reauthorized in 2000.
Contact USSA for the most current information on VAWA legislation.
Like hate crimes
based on race,
ethnicity, religion,
and sexual orientation, hate crimes
against women
are acts of discrimination and
domination
against the victims.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990 was passed and signed into law without
including hate crimes against women as a class, many state hate crimes statutes
exclude bias crimes targeting women. Like hate crimes based on race, ethnicity,
religion, and sexual orientation, hate crimes against women are acts of discrimination and domination against the victims. Acts of gender-motivated violence reflect
efforts to dominate and control women, and are fed by stereotypes of what women
are and how women should act. Certainly, not every violent assault against a women
is a hate crime, but neither is every crime against a Jewish person a hate crime.
However, crimes that do exhibit evidence of bias against women should be considered hate crimes.
In the spring of 1999, the Supreme Court ruled that institutions can be made to pay
damages under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 if they do not address student-to-student sexual harassment. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in
federally supported education programs. Such financial accountability ensures Title
IX’s goal of equalizing education access becomes a reality. The court case, Davis v.
Monroe County Board of Education says that institutions that are “deliberately indifferent” or “unreasonable given the known circumstances” will be held responsible
for harassment that occurs on their watch. The case was based on a sexual harassment incident in an elementary school, but has implications for college campuses.
The National Association of Women in Education reports that student to student
harassment is the most prevalent form of sexual harassment on college and university campuses, making up a full 90% of all reported sexual harassment cases.
Victims of rape and sexual assault are further harmed by law enforcement, or an
institution’s failure to prosecute or address the crime. VAWA sought to remedy this
problem by guaranteeing victims the right to pursue their attackers in civil court.
Christy Brzonkala utilized this provision to seek damages from her attackers whom
she believed were given preferential treatment by her university because of their
status as athletes. In Brzonkala v. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Institute
University, the court considered the application of VAWA to Brzonkala’s rape charges.
The Supreme Court upheld the conservative Fourth Circuit court ruling that victims
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
of sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence cannot sue their attackers for
violating their civil rights, nullifying that provision of VAWA. For information on these
cases and their effect on campus, contact the National Women’s Law Center and
the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. (Source: Northwest Coalition Against
Malicious Harassment and the Northwest Women’s Law Center.)
Identifying Gender Bias Crimes
The criteria used to identify gender bias crimes are similar to those used to identify
other bias crimes:
• Indications of bias toward women as a group. For example biased slurs or statements by the perpetrator (“That’ll put you in your place, b----”) or symbols showing bias, made before, during, or after the attack. Many people become immune
to vulgar terms often used to degrade women, but we must recognize these
epithets as indications of bias toward women when used in the course of a crime.
• Severity of the attack (including mutilation of victim’s sexual organs).
• The absence of any other apparent motive (ex. assaults without robbery).
• Lack of provocation (ex. beating a woman for overcooking the meat).
• A history of similar attacks against the same gender by the perpetrator or a
history of similar incidents in the same area.
• Common sense or victim’s feeling of bias attack.
Examples of Gender Hate Crimes
• Unknown suspects broke into the offices of a well-known organization that advocates for women’s equal rights. The suspects destroyed office equipment, scattered files and records, spray painted words such as “b------” and “sluts” on the
walls, and generally vandalized the office. Nothing of value was taken.
•
A serial rapist sexually assaulted over a dozen women during a six month period
in the same neighborhood. The rapist was male. None of the victims were
related and none knew the attacker. The women were not robbed. The attacks
were particularly violent, including mutilation of most of the victims, and the rapist repeatedly called his victims “b----” and “wh---”.
•
A woman was walking alone at night when a carload of young men drove up to
her, calling out, “Hey baby what are you doing out here all alone after dark.
Women shouldn’t walk alone at night. Hop in the car and we’ll give you a ride.”
When she ignored them, they continued to follow her saying, “Hey, we’re talking
to you. What’s the matter b----, are you too good for us? You must be a feminist,
or maybe one of those d--- b-----es.” She continued to ignore it, at which point
they got out and tried to force her inside, threatening and assaulting her.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Selected findings, December, 1996. Resources for gender based crimes include the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund and the publication Thru the Lens: Women, Girls, and Violence by Women
and Philanthropy.)
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Statistics on Women and Violence
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in conjunction with the Census Bureau, provides information about
criminal events nationwide, including those not reported to law enforcement. The
FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system compiles data on crimes brought to
the attention of law enforcement agencies nationwide.
NCVS and UCR system data show that between 1992 and 1994, the number of violent crimes committed against women reached almost 14 million.
In 1994, there was 1 rape for every 270 women, 1 robbery for every 240
women, and 1 assault for every 29 women.
During the 1997-1997 school year, there were an estimated 4,000 incidents
of rape or other types of sexual assault in public schools across the country. (Source: Thru the Lens: Women, Girls, and Violence by Women and
Philanthropy.)
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
RESOURCES
At the national level each targeted community has its own civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Jewish Committee, the Committee Against Anti-Asian
Violence, and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee among others. In addition, there are
national organizations that monitor and document hate crimes such as the Center for Democratic Renewal and Southern Poverty Law Center.
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Suite 500
4201 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202.244.2990
www.adc.org
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is a service organization that is committed to defending the rights and promoting Arab-American heritage.
ADC offers advocacy in cases of
defamation, legal action in cases
of discrimination, and counseling
in matters of immigration. ADC
has published a series of reports
on anti-Arab hate crimes.
American Jewish Committee
Suite 1201
1156 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202.785.4200
www.ajc.org
The American Jewish Committee
(AJC) is an organization which
was created to protect the rights
of Jews and to combat bigotry and
anti-Semitism. The AJC has published “Skinheads: Who They Are
& What to Do When They Come
to Town” and “Bigotry on Campus:
A Planned Response.”
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Anti-Defamation League
Council American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
823 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
212.885.7700
www.adl.org
The Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) has been committed to
fighting hatred, bigotry and all other
forms of prejudice for well over 80
years. As a means of developing
this goal, ADL has publications
that can be used in combating bigotry and prejudice, including “Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, Hate
Crime Laws,” and “Hate Crimes:
ADL Blueprint for Action.”
Center for Democratic
Renewl
P.O. Box 50469
Atlanta, GA 30302
404.221.0025
www.thecdr.org
453 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington D.C. 20003
202.488.8787
202.488.0833 (fax)
www.cair-net.org
CAIR was estabilshed to promote
a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. We believe misrepresentations of Islam are most
often the result of ignorance on the
part of non-Muslims and reluctance on the part of Muslims to
articulate their case. CAIR collects
anti-Islamic hate crimes and incidents as well as cases of discrimination and profiling. They also
have a wealth of information
though their e-newletter and their
website.
Japanese American Citizens
League
The Center for Democratic Renewal (CDR) is a national clearinghouse of information on the
white supremacist movement.
CDR provides training to law enforcement agencies, schools,
churches, and community organizations. Provides over 40 publications, like the resource manual,
“When Hate Groups Come to
Town,” and the bimonthly newsletter “The Monitor.”
1765 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.921.5225
www.jacl.org
The Japanese American Citizen
League (JACL) is a national educational, human and civil rights organization representing Americans
of Japanese ancestry. JACL monitors incidents of anit-Asian violence, provides assistance in specific cases, has a handbook on
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
!
responding to anti-Asian violence,
and participates in seminars on
hate crimes.
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.264.0286
The Southern Poverty Law Center, monitors hate crimes and hate
groups throughout the nation. and
publishes “The Intelligence Report,” a bimonthly review of hate
crimes and activities of white supremacist groups for law enforcement agencies, and provides
seminars for community organizations. It also houses “Teaching
Tolerance” a project devoted to
anti-bias education.
Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights
1629 K Street, NW
Suite 1010
Washington, DC 20006
202.466.3311
www.united against hate .org
The Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights (LCCR), a coalition of
180 national organizations representing persons of color, women,
persons with disabilities, older
Americans, gays and lesbians,
labor organizations, and major religious groups, is the oldest, largest, and most broad based civil
rights coalition in the country seeking to achieve equality in a free,
plural, democratic society. LCCR
has been at the core of federal civil
rights initiatives over the last 46
years. You can get information on
"
the anti-hate crimes campaign at National Center for Hate Crime
Prevention
www.unitedagainsthate.org.
National Asian Pacific American
Legal Consortium
1140 Connecticut Ave. NW,
Suite 1200
Washington D.C. 20036
202.296.2300
www.napalc.org
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060
617.969.7100
www.edc.org/HHD/hatecrime/id1.htm
Co-funded by the U.S. Department of Education, this center focuses on training and giving technical assistance to community
members and law enforcement
on how best to address hate
crimes. NCHCP also provides a
tool kit for communities on how to
respond and actions to take following a bias related incident.
NCHP also provides curriculum for
middle and junior high school students that focuses on talking about
hate crimes and intolerance.
Annual Audit of Violence Against
Asian Pacific Americas is produced by the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
(NAPALC). This annual audit collects incidents of reported hate
crimes and hate incidents against
Asian Americans and offers recommendations on addressing antiAsian violence. You can request
a copy by calling NAPALC 202296-2300.
National Council of La Raza
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP)
4805 Mount Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
410.358.8900
www.naacp.org
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) was formed in 1909 in
New York City. The principal objective of the NAACP is to ensure
the political, educational, social,
and economic equality of people
of color in the United States. The
NAACP is committed to achievement through non-violence and relies upon the press, the petition,
the ballot, and the courts.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
1111 19th St., NW, Suite 1000
Washington, D.C. 20036
202.785.1670
www.nclr.org
The National Council of La Raza
publishes, “The Mainstreaming of
Hate: A Report on Latinos and Harassment, Hate Violence, and Law
Enforcement Abuse in the 90’s.”
The report tackles the increase in
hate crimes within the Latino community, examining hate activity in
places of worship in the Latino
community, and connecting hate
activity, racial profiling and anti-immigrant sentiment. You can request a copy by calling NCLR at
202-785-1670.
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force
2320 17th St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-2702
202.332.6483
The National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF) is a civil rights organization dedicated to building a
movement to promote freedom and
full equality for all lesbians and gay
men. Its Anti-Violence Project was
initiated in 1982 to promote an appropriate official response to antigay violence, improve the treatment of lesbians and gay men by
the criminal justice system, and assist local communities in organizing against prejudice and violence.
NGLTF reports annually on antigay/lesbian violence, victimization,
and defamation.
National Organization for
Women (NOW)
733 15th St., NW, 2nd Floor
Washington D.C. 20005
202.628.8669
www.now.org
NOW has an anti-violence section
on
their
web
site
at
www.nowldef.org/html/policy/
violence.html
Office of Civil Rights,
Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education
330 C St., SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
1.800.421.3481
www.ed.gov/offices/OCR
The U.S. Office of Civil Rights of
the Department of Education in-
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vestigates and resolves discrimination complains, including complaints that schools have allowed
sexual, racial, or disability harassment. OCR will in certain cases
intervene, or refer complaints to
the U.S. Department of Justice
which can initiate a lawsuit to secure action to resolve the situation.
OCR recently published a guide for
schools titled “Protecting Students
from Harassment and Hate Crime”
along with the National Association of Attorney’s General. Contact their offices for more information.
People for the American Way
(People For) is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to
the defense of constitutional liberties. Through its work on hate
crimes, censorship and civil rights,
People For works to combat intolerance in America. Publications
include “Hate in the Ivory Tower,”
a report on hate crimes and incidents on college campuses, and
“Democracy’s Next Generation II,”
a report on youth attitudes on race.
Sikh Mediawatch and Resorce
Taskforce (SMART)
P.O. Box 1761
Germantown, MD
20875-1761
1.877.917.4547
202.318.4433 (fax)
www.sikhmediawatch.org
Organization of Chinese
Americans
Suite 707
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
202.223.5500
www.ocanatl.org
The Organization of Chinese
Americans (OCA) is a national
civic organization advocating for
the welfare of Chinese Americans.
OCA has an internal task force on
anti-Asian violence. It monitors
court cases and is involved with
specific cases by acting as legal
counsel and providing financial resources. OCA materials include a
quarterly newsletter which offers
updates on cases.
With over 20 million followers
worldwide, Sikhism is the world’s
fifth largest religion. SMART is
dedicated to the accurate representation of Sikhs and Sikhism in
American Society and media; combating bigotry and prejudice; protecting the rights and freedom of
Sikhs in America; and providing resources to empower the community . SMART provides online materials and is available for trainings.
People for the American Way
Suite 400
2000 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202.467.4999
202.293.2672 (fax)
www.pfaw.org
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#
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS
What happens on a college campus is partly determined by what happens in the
larger society. Hate violence can be resolved, but many college officials often only
apply a band-aid solution to the problem. In order for hate violence or racial tensions
to be stopped or prevented, solutions must involve dealing with intergroup conflict in
the society. Solutions that produce results are often deeper or far-reaching.
Affirmative Action and Equal Access Programs
In order for hate
violence or racial
tensions to be
stopped or prevented, solutions
must involve
dealing with
intergroup conflict
in the society.
Campus violence does not occur in a vacuum. Some students have noticed that
with the attacks on students of color and women through anti-affirmative action
campaigns, some institutions have become more hostile environments. By supporting pro-active equality programs like affirmative action, a school commits itself
to providing an equal opportunity for all students to attend college, regardless of
their race or gender. This sets up an open and welcoming environment where
students of color and women and all others who benefit from affirmative action
programs know that they are welcome, valued, and can contribute equally to the
campus.
Without affirmative action programs, it has been shown that the numbers of students of color that apply to campuses like the University of California and the University of Texas drop dramatically. Since equal access and safety go hand in hand, it is
imperative that we connect these issues in our campus organizing, and keep holistic solutions like affirmative action in mind when campaigning to end hate violence
on our campuses. For talking points, history, and facts versus myths on affirmative
action, contact USSA.
Recruitment and Retention of Faculty and
Staff of Color
Students on campuses which have been plagued by hate violence and hate incidents often see the connections between hateful actions, and an institution’s weak
commitment to hiring and retaining strong people of color faculty and staff. In order
to help address the origins of hate violence, we must have campuses that represent the diverse society and diverse knowledges of all of our communities. This
means breaking down the barriers to tenure and to professorships for all communities, particularly faculty and staff of color who continue to be under-represented in
our nation’s colleges and universities.
Often, faculty and staff of color not only contribute to the school environment through
their work on campus, but also through formally and informally mentoring students,
serving as faculty advisors for student of color and women’s groups, serving on
committees that decide on academic and student life issues, and more. They can
also help invite speakers and educate the campus on important issues related to
$
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Campus Codes and Policies
Campus codes and policies on hate crimes, created with the participation of students and the campus community, have set the tone on campuses for how the
institution will handle hate incidents. While some policies serve as only symbolic
statements against discrimination, such statements are important for creating a
campus community that is tolerant and free of hate, bigotry, and harassment. For
students to hold administrators and officers accountable for their safety, written
policies and codes are important in outlining how the campus and its students are
protected against hateful acts. Keep in mind that a policy is not useful if it is not
carried out by administrators, staff, and students on campus. Note that most campus codes currently only censure actions and conduct, not hate speech.
In 1992, the Supreme Court in the case of R.A.V. v. St. Paul ruled that a St. Paul,
Minnesota ordinance that prohibited the display of offensive graffiti or symbols that
would lead to “anger, alarm, or resentment in others on the basis of race, color,
creed, religion or gender” was unconstitutional. Examples of such speech or symbols included a burning cross or the Nazi swastika.
This case had far reaching effects on speech codes at public colleges that were
created to protect the campus community from offensive remarks, such as racist,
sexist, and homophobic jokes, skits, and signs in public areas of the campus. The
purpose of such codes was to guarantee an open and non-hostile learning environment for all students.
In the Supreme Court’s decision in R.A.V. v. St. Paul, the majority ruled that the First
Amendment protected all speech, and that the government “may not regulate use
(of speech) based on hostility—or favoritism—towards the underlying message expressed.” The minority members of the court, however, wrote in favor of speech
codes, citing as Justice Stevens did that “although it is regrettable that race occupies such a place and is so incendiary as an issue, until the nation matures beyond
that condition, laws such as St. Paul’s ordinance will remain reasonable and justifiable.”
Colleges and universities, whether public or private, must have codes that adhere
to federal and state laws on hate crimes and hate incidents, but they can also go
beyond what is under currently law. Campuses can create policies that extend
beyond the law to provide protection to students and members of a campus.
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Example Campus Hate Crime and Non-Discrimination Policies
Below are some sample policies from the University of Wisconsin system and the
University of California system.
University of Wisconsin System’s Regent Policy on Discrimination
“It is the policy of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System that racist and other discriminatory conduct toward students, employees, officials, and guests in the University of Wisconsin System is conduct
that will not be tolerated. Discrimination, discriminatory attitudes, and expressions that reflect discrimination are inconsistent with the efforts of the
University of Wisconsin System to foster an environment of respect for the
dignity and worth of all members of the university community and to eliminate all manifestations of discrimination within the University.
Racist and other discriminatory conduct encompasses harassing conduct
based upon the race, sex, religion, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation,
national origin, ancestry or age of an individual or individuals. (Regent policy
88-12).”
Regents of the University of California: Policy of the Regents:
100.00 Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline
101.00 Student Conduct
Students are members of both society and the academic community with
attendant rights and responsibilities. Students are expected to comply with
the general law, University policies, and campus regulations.
The standards of conduct below apply to students while on University property or in connection with official University functions. If specified in implementing campus regulations, these standards of conduct may apply to conduct which occurs off-campus and which would violate student conduct and
discipline policies or regulations if the conduct occurred on campus.
102.08
Physical abuse, including but not limited to, rape, sexual assault, sex offenses, and other physical assault; threats of violence; or conduct that threatens the health or safety of any person.
102.11
The use of “fighting words” by students to harass any person(s) on University property, on other property to which these policies apply as defined in
campus implementing regulations, or in connection with official University
functions or University-sponsored programs.
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“Fighting words” are those personally abusive epithets which, when directly
addressed to any ordinary person are, in the context used and as a matter of
common knowledge, inherently likely to provoke a violent reaction whether
or not they actually do so. Such words include, but are not limited to, those
terms widely recognized to be derogatory references to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, and other personal characteristics.
“Fighting words” constitute “harassment” when the circumstances of their
utterance create a hostile and intimidating environment which the student
uttering them should reasonably know will interfere with the victim’s ability to
pursue effectively his or her education or otherwise to participate fully in
University programs and activities.
For more information, check out the University of California webpage at <<http://
www.ucop.edu/ucophome/uwnews/aospol/uc100.html>>.
Keys to a Model Policy
1) Crafted with the investment of students
2) Clearly states that verbal or physical harassment that leads to or provokes violence will not be tolerated
3) States a commitment to complying with federal and state hate crimes reporting
laws
4) Clearly states what type of harassment are covered by the policy, including
harassment based on race, gender, ethnicity, sex, disability, sexual orientation,
or religion
5) Includes faculty and staff as well as student protection
6) Outlines the administrative, staff, or student accountability structure for who will
enforce this policy, including how information will be distributed to staff, faculty,
and students
7) Focuses on “censuring rather than censoring” when it comes to questions of
free speech and the first amendment.
8) Describes prevention mechanisms put in place to create a more tolerant campus environment (freshman orientation programs, classes, programming, etc.)
9) Outlines when and how the policy will be reviewed for improvement
10) States how the school will prevent retaliation against those who report hate
crimes
11) Encourages the participation of people from diverse backgrounds and from both
genders to serve as complaint managers
12) Provides simple complaint form to facilitate the reporting process
(Helpful resources: Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crime. U.S. Department
of Education, Office of Civil Rights, January 1999.)
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Keys to an Accountable Process and Good Practices for Campus Policies
1) Quick condemnation of hate crimes and bias incidents by campus administrators and student governments
2) Expanded victims and witness services and support
3) Effective documentation and reporting
4) 24 Hour Hotlines and e-mails and easily accessible reporting forms in public
areas. This includes reporting to staff or student officers that are trusted by
students
5) Immediate notification of campus when an incident has occurred
Resident Advisor and Staff Training
A campus policy on hate and harassment is only as good as the people who carry
out the policy. Resident advisors, residence hall staff, student life staff, and others
should all be trained on the process and reporting protocals when a student is a
target or a witness of a hate crime. Staff should know how to counsel the students,
where the student can go for more support, and what reporting options the student
has.
Staff should also know the the jurisdiction of the university, and when it is prudent to
alert local authorities when an incident occurs on campus. Staff and advisors should
also know the universities policy on hate incidents and hate crimes, and be aware of
the definitions within these policies.
If individual staff do not feel comfortable counseling students who report a hate
crime, then they should know the appropriate offices and students groups that can
provide support services.
First-Year Orientation Programs
and Year-Round Programming
First-year orientation programs that get students to face issues of race, gender,
sexual orientation, class, and other diverse issues are important in introducing students to what the racial and social environment on campus will be like. These
programs are also an opportunity to make clear the campus’ policies on hate crime,
sexual assault, and other bias-related incidents right at the beginning of a student’s
college career.
Several models are used by schools across the country. Some utilize resident
directors and advisors to do skits and lead discussion groups on issues involving
race, sexual orientation, gender, and other issues. Others involve a diverse group
of students in coming up with programming and forums that will introduce to students and engage students in conversations about a wide range of topics, including
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
hate crimes. Still others familiarize the incoming students with information on making
a report, victim’s services, and support services information available to all students.
For regular speakers and programming throughout the year, student groups can
often pull together money to bring key leaders in the civil rights, labor, organizing,
queer, and people of color community to raise issues that challenge people’s thinking. If your campus has a forum board, events board, or speaker’s bureau, students should be represented on those committees, and take control of how money
is spent on campus speakers and programming. Programming is a good way to
start educating students and bringin in more peple ot your anti-hate campaign.
Curricular Reform
Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Studies
and Disability Studies are essential components of teaching tolerance, appreciation, and understanding of under-represented and under-served communities in the
United States. Investing in curricular reform and in the above disciplines help challenge students to think about the diversity of the U.S. population and the contributions that have come from each community. Many times, these courses recognize
omissions in the traditional tests of history, English, sociology, and other disciplines.
By promoting a greater understanding of different groups in our society, these classes
aim to address and understand intergroup relationships. Such courses also help
combat negative stereotypes and misconceptions about particular groups, which is
the first step to addressing the root of hateful actions.
Ethnic Studies
and LGBT Studies
help combat
negative stereotypes and misconceptions about
particular groups,
which is the first
step to addressing
the root of hateful
actions.
The expansion of the traditional “cannon” of learning grew out of the civil rights
movement and the efforts by students to demand that they be taught information
that is relevant to their communities and to the diversity of the United States as a
whole. In the 1970’s, students in California formed the Third World Liberation Front
and held hunger strikes in order to force their administrations to fund and commit to
establishing Ethnic Studies Departments. Since that time, due to continuing student and community pressure, Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, and Queer Studies courses, programs, and departments have cropped up across the country in
Texas, New York, Colorado, and elsewhere.
The fight continues as students push for permanence and funding for Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Studies, and
Disability Studies. All too often, schools chose to bring in speakers and visiting
professors to teach one or two courses, but refuse to commit tenured positions or
establish strong departments in these fields.
So what can be done on curricular reform? First, take inventory of your resources
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and decide on your end goal. Are you attempting to establish a program, a department with a major, with how many tenured faculty? Will your strategy be get traditional departments like history, English, and sociology to define open faculty positions for candidates who’s specialty is in Ethnic, Women’s, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgendered Studies? Or is your strategy to eventually create autonomous
departments for each study? What are your timelines? What sort of broad coalition
of students are you able to mobilize?
Next, research how your university measures up to other comparable institutions.
Are they up to par or lagging in the number of courses they offer or number of
tenured faculty they employ?
Student representation on academic committees are essential. For campuses that
have “major’s committees” or similar structures within a department that decide on
hiring and other department decisions, students must be active on those committees, with full participation and voting power. Some departmental positions require
you to be majoring in that department, but broader academic committees often are
appointed through student government or recruited from a pool of interested students.
For more information on ethnic studies and curricular reform, call USSA at 202347-USSA (8772) or e-mail cdp@usstudents.org.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
FIRST AID FOR HATE:
10 THINGS YOU CAN DO
Hate incidents are symptoms of a greater problem--pervasive or unchecked bias on campus and in class.
Institutional problems require institutional solutions, does your university have programs and policies to address
bias-related violence and incidents? Here are some ideas on how to respond to acts of hate and prevent them
from happening in the first place.
O
Organize students to heal the hate, create
solutions, and advocate on their own behalf.
BUILD COALITIONS.
Broad coalitions, including communities of color,
women, students with disabilities, and lgbt students, in
anti-hate campaigns can mobilize diverse communities to pressure officials and administrators, while involving them in defining solutions. Universities have
extensive provisions for addressing and responding to
sexual assaults, an opportunity to collaborate with
women’s groups on campus crime reporting and campus safety.
ORGANIZE A SPEAKOUT AFTER AN INCIDENT.
Pressure your administration to be accountable for the welfare of students.
DEMAND YOUR ADMINISTRATION ACKNOWLEDGE AND CONDEMN HATE CRIMES WHEN THEY HAPPEN.
Many college administrators would prefer that hate
crimes, be covered up or completely ignored. They
may argue that drawing attention to such crimes would
hurt the school’s reputation or make matters worse.
GET
YOUR SCHOOL TO ADOPT OR STRENGTHEN CAMPUS
CODES ADDRESSING HATE INCIDENTS
.
Colleges should provide safeguards to prevent and intervene in hate crimes and incidents. Find out what
hate crimes your campus reports to the community and
the federal government, and how they do it. Get your
school to fund prevention programs on your campus
designed with the participation of students and community.
Students and community speaking out against hateful
acts and promoting hate crimes prevention efforts can
send a powerful message to perpetrators and university administrators and gives space to the community
targeted to express their concerns, fears, and solutions.
ARE CAMPUS SECURITY TRAINED TO DEAL WITH HATE?
Often, bias related violence is not recognized for what it
RAISE AWARNESS
is. Police should be trained to identify hate crimes,
Create educational programs on issues of gender, race, deal with victims sensitively and knowledgeably, and
ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and religion. Some ideas report them to community and to agencies for national
are speakers, theater, ‘zines, and forums. Co-spon- data collection.
sor events educating about issues of bias on campus.
APPOINT
KNOWLEDGEABLE FACULTY, STAFF, AND STU-
DENTS TO IMPORTANT COMMITTEES.
Pressure your administration or student government to
get knowledgable and diverse representation on campus committees and offices dealing with campus crime
to ensure effective programs dealing with hate on campus.
INCORPORATE DIVERSITY EDUCATION INTO ORIENTATIONS.
Programming regarding diversity on campus should be
a priority given that many students may be experiencing their first interaction with people of different backgrounds. Incorporating it into university programs sends
the message that the university will not tolorate acts of
hate and supports a safe learning environment.
ORGANIZE FOR CURRICULUM REFORM AND EVALUATION.
CREATE OR SUPPORT ASSISTANCE ORGANIZATIONS.
An assistance organization for survivors of bias-related
incidents can provide services like counseling, peer
support, advocacy, and help in navigating the criminal
justice system. Service providers should be trained to
deal with survivors sensitively and knowledgeably.
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Courses that address issues related to gender, race,
ethnicity, sexuality, and religions have a powerful effect
in challenging prejudice and educating students to value
diversity. Faculty should also include the voices of
marginalized people in all courses.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
PLANNING YOUR CAMPAIGN
What Are Your Demands?
Campaign Goals
Your campaign goals is what you hope to win in this campaign. Direct action organizing is when we organize to win something from someone who can give us what we
want. Campaign goals are what we win from someone NOT what we could do for
ourselves like recruit 100 new members or have a a coalition meeting.
Long Term Goals
As we prepare issue campaigns and set specific goals, we need to have a vision of
what our ideal campus would look like and what our vision is for building our organization. We organize to build student power, and every campaign we carry out must
be a part of the long-term strategy of building a student movement on campus.
It was a bold move for students fifty years ago to decide to stop trying to solve their
problems alone and instead to organize and win victories by working together. Today, USSA continues to fight for students by waging our struggle for a just society in
which all people have the right to an education. USSA recognizes bias related violence, sexual harassment, and unsafe campuses as deterrents to a healthy learning
environment. These are problems that deny women, people of color, LGBT people,
and others equal access to higher education. USSA supports legislation and university policies that implement the effective reporting, prevention and combating of hate
crimes as well as other acts of violence on campus and in the surrounding community.
Intermediate Goals
An intermediate goal is what would constitute a victory in our campaign, moving us
toward our long-term goals. While we ultimately want educational access for all
people, intermediate goals are the concrete ways to work toward our vision. This is
also how we know what we are doing is working, what we win should have a measurable effect on people’s lives and must be specific. For example getting an ethnic
studies major with three new tenure track faculty is an intermediate goal.
Short Term Goals
A short term goal is the first step of our campaign, leading directly to our intermediate
goals. It should be something we know we can win with some pressure, like a
meeting with the president of the university. Short term goals build momentum and
keep people invested.
Set Realistic and Specific Goals
Set specific goals for every activity we undertake. It’s much better to set a realistic
goal and to meet it than to simply declare, “We’re going to get every one on campus
to call the President” without a plan for how it can happen. Still, push yourself to set
high enough goals so that we can have a real impact.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
Using the Campaign to Build Your Organization
1. Research your campus community
For each issue-based campaign you work on, research the problem and how it effects students on your campus. You may want to identify how many students on your
campus were victims of assault and harassment. Visit your student support services
office for information about the safety education and crime prevention programs on
your campus. Learn about campus safety policies and find out what measures taken
by your school. Make an appointment with your campus safety office to get statistics
on sexual assaults, bias related violence, and other pertinent issues.
Don’t forget to investigate university policies and regulations regarding petitioning,
soliciting, postering, and other tactics used in grassroots campaigns. Every campus is different, so it is better to be safe than face an alteration with campus police
or a residence hall director.
2. Consider the resources of your organization
Since we carry out campaigns in order to build a student movement, every campaign we organize should work to set us up for the next campaign. We must constantly evaluate our resources and make plans to build our organization and increase our power through the campaign.
Think about what resources your organization can commit to the campaign. How
much money do you have? How many people can commit to the campaign? How
many computers do you have? Where can you make copies?
Think about what
resources your
organization can
commit to the
campaign. How
much money do
you have? How
many people can
commit to the
campaign? How
many computers
do you have?
Where can you
make copies?
3. Fundraising
We need resources to organize and win victories! In every campaign, we must
include fundraising in our strategies. Just as we never let a meeting end without
having people sign postcards or write letters, we must also pass the hat at every
educational event and/or meeting. Fundraising, like any successful campaign, requires goals and timelines. You will need to decide how much money and/or what
resources you will need and how much time you have to reach your goals.
Who to Ask: Brainstorm a broad range of potential fundraising sources. While
some people can give cash to your campaign, others may be able to donate their
services to assist you in an event. Some possible donors are:
Student government associations, alumni, community organizations, religious
organizations, faculty associations or unions, local parent teacher associations, governor’s office, local businesses, regents or college presidents,
local restaurants or coffee houses.
As you prepare your fundraising strategy, consider these two factors for every group
you might approach:
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1) Self interest. Why should an organization fund you? What will they get out of it?
What do you have to offer them? You may have to tactfully remind local businesses
that students support them by purchasing their goods and services. Let them know
if you could put their name on a flyer, and keep in mind how their constituency is
affected by the issues of your campaign.
2) Respect process. Research the organization’s process before approaching
them. Should you talk to one person or do you need to attend a meeting? Is there
a deadline for requests? Do they need a budget or written materials?
Follow up: Once someone pledges support for your campaign, don’t forget to follow up and thank the organization. As your campaign grows, you should keep the
organization invested in the campaign and involve them in future events. Campaign sponsors could post flyers or have a stack of leaflets in their establishments.
Events: Fundraising events are a great way to raise money, but can also build your
organization. Every event you sponsor should not only raise money, but should
also educate students, recruit new members, and get media attention. Be creative
in planning events - dances, poetry readings, beer-tasting parties, or concerts can
be fun and successful!
The USSA Foundation offers trainings and issue based workshops for students that
will help build a bias related violence campaign, as well as information, resources,
and technical assistance to aid students at different levels of their issue campaigns.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
MOBILIZING PEOPLE
Why Should Students Get Involved?
Colleges and universities are part of the “real world” - a world where acts of hate
violence continue to plague our society. Since colleges are not isolated from “the
real world”, it is very important that they have environments that embrace pluralism.
It is also very critical that in learning how to live in a diverse society, students become
educated about bias related violence and help work to eliminate hate crimes. There
are several reasons why students should get active:
People who are survivors of hate crimes and hate incidents often do not
report those crimes and incidents. There are many reasons for this. The most
common reason being fear of retaliation or fear that reporting the incidents will create more trouble for them on campus. In addition, students who are harassed or
assaulted often have feelings of powerlessness. It is often difficult for students to
get an administrator, a faculty member, or even a campus health care worker to
listen. Students who have been attacked physically, mentally, or verbally need to
have a support system in place to be able to redefine their empowerment.
Formal authorities often fail to take action on crimes motivated by bigotry or
hate. Often, campus administrations abjectly refuse to acknowledge that there
might be a problem on their campus. When asked to take appropriate action, bias
related incidents are often dismissed as isolated or unimportant. Sometimes, students are discouraged from reporting the attacks so as not to create further problems for themselves and the school. Even more frightening is that some victims have
been blamed for the actions perpetrated against them. Students need to know that
there are others on campus and in the community who believe in the seriousness of
such incidents, who understand that a successful college experience is contingent
upon a safe environment, and who believe that these attacks must be stopped.
Authorities benefit from “divide and conquer” strategies. Students on campuses are often pitted against one another. For example, students of color against
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, women against men, student of
color organizations against each other, and so on. Many administrations see the
benefit of keeping students fighting amongst each other: students who are preoccupied with infighting will be less likely to hold anyone accountable for creating a
hate free, safe campus environment.
Students need to
know that there
are others on
campus and in the
community who
believe in the
seriousness of
such incidents,
who understand
that a successful
college experience is contingent
upon a safe
environment, and
who believe that
on campuses- as
in the society-atlarge, these
attacks must be
stopped.
Unchecked, hate activity will increase. They already have. Since the 1980’s,
reports of bias related crimes have increased dramatically. Issues of safety are not
only the concern of those who most frequently experience bias motivated crimes.
Every bias related incident, whether it be a derogatory comment or a physical assult,
threatens everyone’s well-being and security.
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Recruitment
This section will provide a system for managing the people you recruit into your
campaign to Stop Hate Violence. In our experience student organizations attract
many new interested people, some through their own desires to help, and other
through active recruitment by the organization’s membership. It is important to use
your membership to strengthen your organizational goals and to develop leadership
in students who will continue the work when you leave.
A member management system should also include clearly delineated policies,
procedures and guidelines which communicate your organizations’ expectations
for members, volunteers, and active organizers.
Recruiting a new
person to help with
your anti-hate
campaign can
also become a
member of your
organization that
does year-round
work on hate
crimes.
Recruitment skills are perhaps the most important assets to any form of organizing.
Identifying a person’s self interest to gain them as new member to your campaign is
crucial for your short and long term needs. Recruiting a new person to join the antihate campaign can also recruit new members for your organization that does yearround work on hate crimes.
Why do people get involved?
Self interest is truly the number one reason people everywhere become involved.
Whether it is because they have been harassed on campus for their background, or
they want to be around other people who hold their same values, people choose to
act on their own behalf.
But how will someone become part of our anti-hate campaign if they don’t even
know the organization you represent exists?
Everyone needs to have a point of entry into your work. Ask yourself, “How
did I get myself into this work?” Most likely answers you’ll say,“Because I wanted
to,” or “I knew someone that was involved with the campaign or organization working
on hate crimes.”
There is a always a person - “someone” that connects the student to the work at
hand. In this case, someone who connects the student to the campaign to address
hate crimes on campus. Therefore, it’s crucial that “someone” have the skills needed
to effectively recruit new members to their organization. This section is modeled
after the GrassRoots Organizing Weekends (GROW) “Recruitment” session.
Recruitment Guidelines
A. Be Prepared
• Learn as much as you can about the person, issue, or organization involved.
• Set specific objectives, and have a fall back objective. For example: I want
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
this person to come to a rally or I want this person to sign a petition for ethnic
studies.
B. Legitimize Yourself
• Have a “license” to operate. For example, “I am a member of the largest antihate student activist network in the country” or “I also live in Smith Hall and have
the same problem as you” or “Your friend, Steve, said I should talk with you.”
• Have an appropriate image. Appearance and language send a message that
might be different from what we actually want to communicate. We don’t have
change who we are to be appropriate, but how we look and how we communicate
should reinforce what we say, not work against it. This includes: confidence,
sincerity, appropriate dress and language, eye contact, and enthusiasm.
C. Listen
• Draw the person out, build rapport, and gain trust
• Identify their self-interest
• Establish a personal connection beyond the issue. This means caring and inquiring about the person’s interests such as hobbies, home town, movies, etc.
• Hear and answer any reservations or questions.
• Listen for networks you can use. What other groups are they involved in?
D. Agitate
• The goal is to help the person see that this is their issue as well as yours.
• Discuss the issue in a way that makes the person mad at the target and invested
in your campaign. For example, eliminating affirmative action programs on campus
last year really struck a blow to the school’s success in recruiting and retaining
students of color. But now, Chancellor Woods wants to eliminate the student code
prohibiting hate crimes. What does that say to students? We have to let the
community know that students are watching, and will fight to keep the policy.
E. Get a commitment
You can say “Will you come to the meeting?” or “Will you leaflet your dorm this
Thursday?” or “Will you table this Tuesday for two hours?” Then clarify next steps.
“I will call you tomorrow with the exact information on when the bus is leaving, and
you need to get the $10 in to the office by Wednesday, April 1st.”
F. Follow up.
Keep commitments. (“I’ll call to remind you.”)
Help bring the person into the organization. Make an effort to greet them when they
arrive, introduce them to others, and make sure they understand what is happening.
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Sample Recruitment Script
Review the sample script and create examples of your own for your group to
practice before you do outreach and recruitment.
Be Prepared
Agitate
I want Alia to help me coordinate the residence halls and become invested so that she
will join the anti-hate crimes campaign. My
fall back plan is to have her help for one week.
T: Wow, it’s great that you helped
out. In fact, we are looking for students who have your experience
to help us start a campaign to prevent and address hate crimes. After that hate letter incident, the administration refused to come out
publicly against harassing letters
targeted at students of color!
Legitimize Yourself
Tuan (T): Hi, my name is Tuan. Aren’t you
in my Chemistry seminar?
Alia (A): Yes, my name’s Alia.
A: Hmmm. I didn’t know that.
T: Nice to meet you Alia, I’m one of the coordinators of the campaign to Stop Bias Related Violence here on campus. We are
starting an anti-hate student organization this
year. We need students to be active to stop
hate, discrimination, and bigotry in our community, not just when horrific incidents occur.
Have you ever worked on a anti-hate crimes
campaign?
Listen
A: Not really. I got my friends to go to the
speak out after the incident last year, when
the Asian American student alliance found
racist letters it its mailbox, but that’s about it.
T: Really? Organizing people to be at the
speakout is great! Are you involved with student government?
A: No, but I am a member of the African-Student Union and our political director wanted
me to help out since one of our members was
interested in bringing hate crimes issues to
the student government.
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U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
T: Unfortunately, many students
don’t Alia. This is the reason we
have our campaign to Stop Hate
Violence this year and find it so
important to have the anti-hate
policies institutionalized on campus. We want make sure students
are knowledgeable about how incidents of hate crimes have increased on this campus, how it has
affected the retention of students
of color, and other issues facing
students every year.
Get a commitment
T: Do you think you would be interested in helping me coordinate
the residence halls as part of this
year’s campaign? Basically, we
would be going to residence hall
government meetings and asking
them to write letters to the administration concerning our campus
hate crime policy, and get ten
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
people committed to table during lunchtime. Since you have some experience
talking to students about issues of hate
on campus, I would love it if you could help.
A: Well, I am kind of busy all of the time. I
don’t think I can do it.
See how easy it can be? It’s all about
following the steps.
The
committments will fall into place. It is
ideal to practice either on your own or
as a group with examples similar to
this one.
T: It would only be for a couple of hours
two nights this week and two nights next
week.
A: I don’t really like to speak in front of a
lot of people.
T: Get outta’ here! I’ve heard you speak
up in class. You did a great job clarifying
how important it is for students to fight
against bias related crimes on campus.
Besides, we would be doing it together.
A: Maybe I can commit to doing it for one
week.
T: Fabulous! Can we have a quick check
in tomorrow evening so that I can give
you some of our materials and you can
browse through them over the weekend?
A: Alright. That sounds like a good idea.
T: Ok, why don’t we meet at 8 pm at
Kerchkhoff Coffee House?
A: Fine with me.
Follow Up
T: I’ll remind you tomorrow in class ok?
Here, give me your number just in case.
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Keeping Students In Your Campaign
Potential members and organizers should be able to contact your organization and
easily access basic information about what is going on, what they can do to help,
and how they can join your organization. This information will help potential members and organizers self-select and decide whether their needs and interests match
with those of the organization.
Your organization should be responsive to this initial request for information by potential members and organizers. First impressions can have a big impact on the
public’s perception of your organization. For example, since word of mouth is an
especially effective tool in the lesbian and gay community, you must make sure that
negative impressions don’t work against your organization.
Potential members and organizers should complete a non-intimidating application.
This implies that your organization will make a determination of the person’s interests, abilities, and commitment to the organization. It’s also a good way to collect
and keep running contact information!
“Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You”
Without an adequate orientation about the organization and the particular program
or department and who new members/ volunteers will be working with, members and
organizers become easily frustrated by having to find their own way and by defining
their own roles. The overall goal of orientation is to make new members and organizers feel as comfortable, informed and confident as possible.
Getting to Work
Member placement is a matter of matching the needs of a particular task or program with the interests, skills, experiences and availability of the member. Placing
members within organizations should be based on the development of how members are expected to contribute. This is essential to increase the likelihood of member satisfaction and, more successful member retention.
Most students work on issues like hate incidents in between classes, work, and
families. Their time is precious, and they want to know they are using it the most
effectively. Although they may not have alot of time to give, they are often the
students directly affected by the issue, and your campaign and organization needs
to have a way for people with limited time to contribute and develop as leaders as
well.
Mentoring
It is important that members and organizers in your anti-hate group are developing
their own skills and being supported in their work. Members need to know who they
should turn to when they have a problem or a question. They need someone to give
advice and point them in the direction of whatever information they seek. Remember to create a self-fulfilling prophecy: expect the best and most skilled performance
"
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
from members and see what happens.
Training and Transitioning
Ideal training will continually develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes of members,
reinforce appropriate expectations and heighten connections to and identification
with your student organization or campaign.
Group trainings allow members to share ideas and are an important form of recognition. Training topics should focus on such things as providing concrete technical
assistance as well as skills and team-building. Examples for training subjects for
students working on hate crimes include: basic information on hate crimes and hate
crime laws, university power structure, building public speaking skills, strategic organizing with USSA GrassRoots Organizing Weekend, and more!
It’s a good idea to divide up these trainings among more experienced members,
allowing as many to facilitate and coordinate trainings as possible. This recognizes
their skill and expertise abd develops them as leaders.
Never forget that members are motivated to give something back as well as to get
something in return. Satisfaction through organizing victories or personal and professional development are the “paycheck” for students who donate their time to
organizing on social justice issues like hate incidents. Members and organizers
should receive recognition in both formal and informal ways.
How’d I Do?
The ability to adequately evaluate performance is based on continuous and close
mentorship. To be fair, evaluations can only be based on understood responsibilities
which are dependent upon clear written and verbal communication between the
mentor and the new member. It should be understood by the member from the
beginning that some form of an evaluation component is built into their work and that
the evaluation relates to the established objective outlined in the position. Also
make sure that evaluations go both ways, and that the new member or volunteer has
a chance to give input on how the organization or campaign is running, and how it
can be improved.
Leadership Development
One of the most important aspects of organizing is making sure that our anti-hate
organization has strong leadership, and that people develop other leaders to take
their place when they are gone. Leaders should strive to recruit and develop new
leaders. The cost of not developing leadership is then you have few students doing
all the work, and getting easily burnt out. The other consequence are targets simply
wait for the “loud mouth” organizers to graduate or leave school-- thus waiting for
the campaigns to die out and dissipate.
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What Makes a Leader?
People who feel directly affected and impassioned by the issue may take on leadership and more responsibilities for organizing other students. Motivation is necessary, however it is not enough. Some people are charismatic leaders, but don’t have
the organizational skills or an understanding of the issues. Thus, they can only
organize as far as they can reach.
Sometimes in student organizing there’s a vacuum of leadership. In this case, look
to the person who shows the necessary talent but never considered becoming a
leader. Such an individual may be the most valuable find. There are members that
you now rely on the most, and can be cast into the leadership role by their own
organizational activity.
Look to the
person who shows
the necessary
talent but never
considered
becoming a
leader. Such an
individual may be
the most valuable
find.
Time and time again we encounter the effective leader who says, “A year ago I never
dreamed I would be doing this.” But how do you get such a person to take on
organizational responsibility? It doesn’t hurt to have a “heart to heart” about taking
responsibility. Ask yourself how and why you became a leader. If your reasons are
relevant to the other person, start there. But asking alone doesn’t make a leader,
there must be stepping stones of increased responsibility in your organization to
identify leadership potential and a member’s interests and skills.
Two factors combine to make a person take a leading role. The first is that It is in the
person’s self interest to do so. The second is dictated by organizational circumstances that require a person to take on a leadership role.
Leaders get benefits aside from working to create positive change on an issue like
hate crimes. These include respect, satisfaction at getting back at an adversary
(i.e. the administration), skills development, and an ability to make change.
People become leaders when they discover that they can do a whole range of things
they never believed were possible. This gives them a sense of empowerment. Some
examples include chairing a meeting, writing an article, talking to people you have
never met before, standing up to people in powerful positions, and inspiring people.
Once a person discovers that they are competent in some of these areas, they
want to see what else they can do.
Being a leader isn’t just about being a symbolic figurehead. Leaders prove themselves through organizing victories and through real work. Tasks and responsibilities of a leader include maintaing communication within, communicating and defending group decisions, initiating long range plans, handling emergencies, making
sure the group uses strategy, and raising money for the organization.
In an anti-hate violence campaign, a leader means being sensitive to the difficult
issue of hate incidents, but also knowing how to turn fear and anger into positive
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
progressive action that changes conditions on a campus or in a community.
Put your potential leaders in positions where they will have to do things.
Start one step at a time. It’s not enough to watch you do it. The work has to come
from them. When a person fills these functions, other people start to think of her or
him as a leader.
You can help leaders show off their strong points and correct weak ones. For instance, make a list of your leader’s strongest skills. Assign leadership functions in
those areas right away. Then list the skills that need further development. Slowly
add responsibility in these areas, teaching and correcting as you go. Finally, list the
skills which you think the leader can never develop sufficiently. Find people who will
fill these particular gaps by working with the leader. Examples include things like
writing or fundraising.
Make sure to create a support group for the leader. Leaders need organizers
and support. They need defined tasks, clarification of whom they are accountable
to and when, and support that is organized and explicit.
There is a definite point at which the new leader takes on the responsibility of the
role. It may be marked by an election, or by the point at which you leave the organization. It may happen so gradually that no one notices. But it does happen. At this
point there must be a need for organizational leadership. Not just any leadership but
the particular leadership and talents which your leader has. You have to start working well in advance to see to it that the need and the time of transition coincide.
For example, if the leader’s strongest skill is planning, the transition should come at
the end of one project and before the next. The new leader brings the new program. If instead the leader’s strongest point is carrying out an activity then the point
of transition should come just after the start of a new program. If the leader is weak
on chairing meetings, then move the group away from a plan to adopt a constitution
and bylaws the month the transition is to take place.
Remember that
every strong
leader should be
developing
others. People
should not become so important that the
organization can
not function
without them.
The leader must feel that her or his greatest skills are what the organization needs
for its success. Remember every strong leader should be developing others. People
should not become so important that the organization can not function without them.
Constituents & Allies
Constituents are the people that are directly affected by the issue. Because hate
crimes are not just attacks on individuals but on communities, after an attack or
incident you should bring together the communities that the victim identifies with (or
is identified with), that is bring together the student groups representing those communities to formulate a common agenda and goals. This ensures investment of
coalition members in the goals and campaign. Then open it up to include everyone
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that is directly affected by hate crimes but may not have been targeted in this incident; women, lgbt students, Jewish students, student government, residence hall
government. The wider the group of students affected, the easier it will be to win
your issue. Think of ways of “cutting” the issue to cast the widest net.
Finally bring in allies to build stronger support for your issue. Allies are groups which
might share similar interests or agree with the need for the changes being proposed
but for some reason or anther cannot join your group/ coalition (eg. faculty, alumni,
and community groups). You need to think of everyone you can possibly work with
and make an effort to contact them. Don’t simply invite them to your meetings. Ask
to attend theirs. Each group will have something unique to offer.
Help them think of ways they would feel most comfortable participating. Student
government probably has a bigger office and facilities and resources. Maybe the
residence halls and student of color groups can turn out a lot of people to educational events, or host events with letter-writing tables in a prominent location. Art
students and graphic design majors could make really sharp posters, etc. Be creative and open to all the different ways people can participate.
Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Organizing
Faculty and staff
may sit on influential campus
committees and
have votes on
campus policies
and other efforts
to improve the
campus environment.
"$
Faculty, staff, and alumni all can be invested in your hate crimes campaign, and
may have influence in areas that students alone do not. For instance, faculty and
staff and alumni may sit on influential campus committees and have votes on campus policies and other efforts to improve the campus environment.
As part of the campus community, faculty and staff also are affected by hate incidents that occur on campus; particularly faculty and staff of color or openly gay
faculty and staff. They may agree to speak out against hate crimes on campus.
Faculty, particularly tenured faculty, may also set up meetings with your President,
Chancellor, or target, in order to bring student and community demands to the table.
As former students, alumni often have an interest in hearing about the lives of current students. Publicizing to alumni the current campus hate crimes statistics or
the administration’s inability to address hate crimes is one way to jeopardize the
amount of alumni donations. This is a potential tactic and way to put pressure on
your administrator or target, especially if your target is campus based. Organized
alumni could host a meeting with the President or Chancellor, or target. For instance, at Oberlin College, when the President hosted an alumni luncheon in the
San Francisco Bay area, alumni organized to attend and pressure the President on
issues that concerned students on campus. Since alumni are an important funding
and recruiting tool for schools, the administration has an interest in keeping them
happy. Therefore, if alumni organize along with students, your target may be more
willing to work on your demands.
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
COALITIONS
Building Coalitions
“All life is interrelated. All people are caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly
affects all indirectly. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Speech at Birmingham Jail, 1963.
The list of USSA’s Principles of Coalition Building was developed by a group of
activists who learned some difficult lessons from the 1980’s movement to divest
university resources from apartheid in South Africa.
On too many campuses, organizations of mostly white students who “discovered”
racism in South Africa formed quickly, set the agenda, made all the plans and then
wondered where the African American students were. “Why won’t they come to our
meetings?” was the question that they continued to ask.
In fact, many of these African American students had already set their own agendas
and were working on them through their own organizations. Students of color were
wary of white students who were so worried about South Africa but seemed unaware of racism on their own campuses. A lack of sensitivity and a lack of experience with each other led to many wasted opportunities for strong coalitions.
Student power
comes from
groups working
together in coalitions to ensure
that campuses
are safe and free
of hate motivated
crimes.
Student of color, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people, people with disabilities,
women’s organizations, and many other groups may recognize that they have common interests and goals as well as common barriers to their access to higher education. Organizations may choose to form a coalition to work with one another on a
specific issue or on an ongoing basis.
Fighting hate violence to generate better support services, strong student conduct
codes that prohibit acts of violence, curriculum reform, crime prevention and education programs has the potential to unite very broad based coalitions.
USSA encourages coalition building that acknowledges and respects the full diversity of today’s student body whether that means age, race, gender, class, sexual
orientation, interests, political or religious belief, or physical ability.
Student Organizations Directly Affected by the Issue
When organizing a coalition, student organizations need to do outreach to all groups
that are directly affected by the issue. Individuals may have varied opinions on a
range of issues or socialize in separate circles, but it is possible to work together to
make education accessible to all students. Start with a list of every student of color,
LGBT, and women’s organization on campus and every different way targeted students are grouped on campus.
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Potential coalition members and allies in a campaign against hate violence.
You should be recruiting individual members/ volunteers as well as organizations to
join the campaign. Here are some ideas for where you should go to recruit.
Although you
should strive for a
broad coalition,
there is no such
thing as the
“democratic right”
to join a coalition.
You can allow in,
and keep out,
whichever groups
you wish. Do not
be guilt tripped.
"&
American Indian Student Association
Arab American Student Association
Asian Pacific American Student Coalition
Bisexual/Gay/Lesbian Student Association
Black sororities and fraternities
Black Student Union
Childcare Center
Graduate of color student groups
Jewish Student Union
Multi-cultural/ LGBT/ Women’s Centers
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA)
Latin American Student Association
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Muslim Student Association
TRIO students (Student Support Services, EOP, etc.)
Union of Student with Disabilities/ Disability Services Office
Residence Hall Association
International Student Union
Ethnic Studies Classes/ Department
Women’s Groups
Transfer Student Association
Women Studies Department/ Classes
Service Organizations
Religious Organizations
Student Government
Staff and Faculty of Color
U.S. STUDENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
USSA Principles for Coalition Building
Be Strategic
Be strategic in how you construct your coalition. Don’t assume it will come together
“naturally.” Who you ask, how you ask them, and who you ask first, second and
third are all important. Some organizations won’t join if others have been asked
first. Some organizations won’t work together and you won’t be able to get both on
board. Take into account your own goals and organizational considerations. And
take into account the need to build a diverse, representative movement or coalition.
Choose Unifying Issues
Coalitions come together around a common goal or set of goals. These goals must
be developed by more than one organization. Don’t decide on the issue and the
strategy and then invite others to join you. This doesn’t work because other groups
won’t feel invested in the project. Develop strategy collectively. The strength of a
coalition is in its unity. Work with other organizations to develop a strategy that
makes sense for everyone. The tactics you choose for your campaigns should be
supported by all members of the coalition.
Avoid coalitions based on groups agreeing to exchange help. Organizations can
rarely deliver their members to work on some other group’s program, and no group
will feel that it got enough out of the coalition.
Understand and Respect Each Group’s Self Interest
Understand and respect organizational self-interest. Everyone joins the coalition in
order to build their own organization as well as to work on a common agenda. Your
organization will have to ask itself whether it makes sense to join coalitions initiated
by other groups: Is there sensitivity to your organization’s needs and priorities? Does
the issue affect your members and do they want to be involved?
Respect Each Group’s Internal Process
Different coalition members often have differing processes to make decisions, elect
their representatives, and etc. Therefore, it is advised that coalitions respect the
needs of each of its members.
Play to the Center with Tactics
Try to develop tactics which everyone can agree on. Some groups might choose to
have a low profile, while more militant groups might want to be more aggressive. If
you play to the center with tactics you will be more likely to get more investment and
better turnout. This doesn’t mean you never have a protest, sometimes you need to
try other “nicer” tactics before members become more comfortable with those tactics
and the campaign should build toward these, not start with them. At any rate you
should always have a way for people to support that everyone can do, like a petition
or postcard. Besides, sometimes there are advantages to having the more militant
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groups go off and carry out their ideas independently.
Recognize That Contributions Vary
Each organization will have something different to offer. All contributions are important, whether they be members, meeting space, publicity, passing resolutions, funds,
or other resources.
Be creative and open to the many different ways people can participate.
Student government could offer facilities, a bigger office, resources, easier access
to lists of students, pass a resolution supporting the campaign to Stop Bias Related
Violence and mail that to state legislators and Congress members.
Collaborate with Community Organizations
There are many groups in addition to students on your campus and in your community who care about access to education issues and hate crimes, and could therefore
work with you on the campaign.
Faculty and staff unions and associations typically have resources and a
lot of organizing experience
High school students are worried about whether they will find a hostile
environment on college campuses. Contact their student governments, leaflet at basketball games, and invite them to participate. Many high school
seniors could be voting in the next general elections or planning to attend the
college the following year.
Parent or teacher organizations sometimes have a lot of money to give
away. They also have organizing experience and community perspectives to
contribute.
The Alumni Association could be a good ally with some impressive resources. Think of other community groups or unions that might be supportive and brainstorm ways that they could help in the campaign.
National and community organizations. The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Organization for
Women (NOW), their local affiliates, and other national organizations that
work on hate crimes are listed in the resources section. Call to see if there is
a local branch in your community. Sometime professors are a great resource
for tapping into local community groups.
Distribute Credit Fairly
Make explicit agreements. Make sure everyone understands their responsibilities
and powers. This prevents misunderstandings. In the end, it is very important to
distribute credit fairly. Coalitions are meant to accomplish goals that could not be
accomplished by one organization alone. Thus the coalition itself should the most
credit for the coalition’s work. Those that contributed leadership or resources be#
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
yond what was expected should also be recognized.
If There is Staff, They Should Be Neutral
Ensure staff members aid all members of the coalition equally. Staff members should
be accountable to the coalition as a whole, not individual members.
Structure Decision Making Carefully
“One group, one vote” only works if the groups are of equal strength. The smaller
groups should not be able to out-vote the larger just because there are more of them.
Individuals should not be able to out-vote organizations. When faced with these
problems, many groups turn to consensus decision making, in which everyone has
to agree on everything. This is fine if you can do it, but recognize that it excludes
people who cannot spend long hours at meetings.
It is often better to recognize that in some coalitions, everyone is not equal. The
program would not work if the strongest groups do not support it, and it is okay for
marginal organizations and individuals to just sit out of a particular activity in which
they do not feel comfortable participating. The decision making process is often
smoother when the coalition is composed strictly of organizations that can make
more or less the same level of contribution to the work.
Allies are groups
which might share
similar interests or
agree with the need
for the changes
being proposed,
but are not directly
affected by the issue.
The decision making process and the ground rules should be clear from the outset.
So should the ground rules. If this is a temporary coalition for a single event or fixed
length of time, it should dissolve on schedule and not live on to be a rival of its own
members. Call it a campaign instead of a coalition, and give it a time limiting name
such as “Campaign Safe-Walk ‘96".
There is no such thing as the “democratic right” to join a coalition. You can allow in,
and keep out, whichever groups you wish. Do not be guilt tripped.
Urge Stable and Senior Representation at Meetings
The same people should represent a group at each coalition meeting, and they
should be people with the power to commit the group or approve the coalition program. Otherwise the coalition cannot move without long delays.
For a training on how to build a successful coalition see the last page of this manual
to schedule a GrassRoots Organizing Weekend or contact the USSA Training Coordinator at 202.347.GROW or training@usstudents.org
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ON TARGET
Who is a Target?
A targets is the person who has the power to give us what we want. It can be more
than one person, but never a board or “the university.” For example, if your goal is to
get your college administration to acknowledge and condemn an act of bias motivated violence perpetuated against a fellow student, your primary target may be your
college president or chancellor.
To establish the targets of a grassroots campaign, we must consider the process of
how proposed solutions can become institutionalized.
Once you establish your target, you need to brainstorm what power you have over
them. Your power analysis varies with every target. For instance, you have the
power over your elected officials by voting them in or out of office. However, your
power over the President of a private college may be an entirely different thing.
While you may not be able to remove him or her out of office, you have the power to
disrupt his or her career by hurting enrollment or fuundraising of the university.
What are Tactics?
Tactics are what you do to your target to force her/him to give you what you want.
For example, your university runs on, and recruits students based on a positive
public image. One tactic to make your administrator institute a policy on bias-related violence is to release to the press the number of hate incidents that have
occurred on campus in his or her tenure.
Another case is when your target is a legislator who is up for re-election and you
want him or her to support federal hate crimes legislation. One tactic would be to
register, and turn out to vote, supporters of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act with a
Get Out the Vote campaign.
Tactics are the key to getting your target to the point where they must give into your
demands or otherwise suffer some negative consequence to themselves.
Successful tactics are based on the amount of power you have over your target. In
the first case, releasing negative press is based on the power to damage the college’s
reputation, thereby hurting enrollment or fundrasing. In the second, it is the amount
of registered voters who support preventing hate crimes and who will re-elect them
or voting them out of office.
Below are some suggestions for tactics that have worked. Be creative, fun, and
original in your tactics as possible! Be sure, however, that constituents in your
campaign agree upon the chosen tactics.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
TACTICS
Forums and Teach-Ins
Forums are used to educate students who are effected by the issues you have
identified. Educating these students can develop support on your campus for working toward your goals. Forums should also provide direction for students so that
once they are educated about the issue they can actively work on changing their
campus.
A forum can raise the awareness of issues that lack mass support. Heightened
awareness helps develop a base of students to work on campaigns around this
issue.
Goals for Holding a Forum on Hate Crimes and Bias Related Violence include:
Heightening awareness of issues
Involving more students in working on campus issues
Demonstrating broad support for these issues
Gathering information
Building alliances with community members, friendly administration, staff,
and faculty
There are many situations that may prompt you to organize a forum. These include
incidents of racist/sexist/homophobic harassment, refusal of administration to publicly condemn racist, sexist, or homophobic acts of harassment and violence, continual loss of faculty of color, and continued attacks on affirmative action policies
Forums are a way to contact students later to get them active and working on related campaigns of your organization as well. If in the future you want to hold other
events on those issues, you will have a base of people from which to recruit.
Forums should
also provide
direction for
students so that
once they are
educated about
the issue they can
actively work on
changing their
campus.
First Steps
Contact the Student of Color Campus Diversity Project. Get co-sponsors for your
forum. Include all groups of students who are directly effected by the issue from the
beginning to ensure efficiency. These organizations need to be involved early. Next,
assign task people and develop work committees. You will need point-people to take
responsibility for parts of the forum. This is a good tool to develop new members and
interested student activists. It is also a good way to avoid burnout by a small group
of organizers.
Work Committees:
Communications liaisons serve as contacts to USSA’s Student of Color Campus
Diversity Project, your State Student Association and campus groups, and community groups. Logistics pointpeople arrange room reservation and details; oversee
implementation at hearing. Program pointpeople recruit students for the panel, cre-
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ate a concrete agenda, and help students prepare presentations. Outreach
pointpeople recruit students and publicize event to campus and community. Media
pointpeople arrange press coverage of forum, save all copies of coverage, and
arrange for photographs and videotape. Fundraising pointpeople take care of raising money needed for event and getting in-kind donations.
Advance Organizing
Once your have tasks and responsibilities covered, choose a date and location early.
Brainstorm several dates and locations and then review them all with co-sponsors
and outreach targets. You don’t want to find out later that you picked the same night
as the Cinco de Mayo celebration! Check the date early with your administrators if
you want them to attend.
Then decide on the number of hours for your forum and the number of speakers.
Avoid scheduling the forum during inconvenient times for students such as directly
prior to mid-terms, finals or other key events. Some tips include scheduling the
forum while large numbers of students will be in the area (perhaps in conjunction
with a statewide meeting or conference), and conducting the forum in a location
where students gather naturally and indoors such as the student union.
Make sure to do strategic outreach. Your outreach plan should reflect who is directly affected by hate violence issues. The point people working on the program
and outreach need to work very closely together.
Think broadly of what student organizations to approach that have a stake in and
feel strongly about hate crimes and bias related violence. Identify groups that agree
with your position that might not have such a direct stake, as well. Make presentations and circulate sign-up lists at meetings of campus organizations. Always get
phone numbers and contact information. Have you contacted the following?
Student Government
Student of Color organizations
Women’s organizations
Service organizations
Campus Press
Greek organizations
Non-Traditional students
Gay/Lesbian/Bi sexual organizations
Students with disabilities organizations
Resident Hall associations
Graduate student organizations
(see page 48 for more ideas)
Meet with these student organizations and invest them in helping to conduct a publicity
drive to maximize attendance. Choose a combination of tactics such as:
• Get groups to commit to bringing 15-20 people each
• Publicize the event 3 to 4 weeks in advance
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
• Place ads in campus and community publications
• Ask the campus newspaper staff to write an article about the forum and on
anti-hate issues
• Write your own letters to the editor, supporting anti-hate activism
• Distribute flyers in busy areas such as the dining halls, student unions, residence halls, classrooms, parking lots, and restaurants
• Place posters in strategic areas around the campus
• Encourage the campus and local radio stations to air public service announcements on the forum
• Circulate notices to faculty members to be read in class
• Table with fact sheets and sign-up sheets in a busy area. Call the Student of
Color Campus Diversity Project at (202)347-8772 for more tabling materials.
• Canvass the dorms or student apartment areas
• Sponsor teach-ins on hate crimes and pass out a sign up sheet with phone
numbers
• Class-raps: make short announcements before classes, especially in large lecture halls
• Chalk the blackboards in classrooms about the forum and how students can
get involved
Work with the Multicultural, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender, Religious, Women’s,
and Disability center on your campus. Ask them for help in recruiting people to
testify on the panel. They may be willing to circulate your flyers in their office or have
a sign up sheet for interested students. They may also copy some flyers!
For community outreach, you may want to invite community groups, local elected
officials, community anti-hate and watch-dog groups, and local school boards, police officers assigned to bias crimes, and more.
Preparing the Panel
You want to make sure that the people speaking on your panel comprise equal
representation with regard to race, gender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender,
religion, physical ability, and student status. The more representative your panel is
the better so that your panel effectively addresses the needs and solutions for each
targeted community.
The Forum Itself
As soon as the date is picked you will have to secure a meeting space and equipment for the forum. Make sure the room and building are wheelchair accessible.
Here is a basic checklist:
Is the audio-visual set up?
Have signs been posted directing people to the forum room?
Does the seating arrangement ensure that speakers can be heard?
Do you have a sign in list or materials such as a petition at the entrance?
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Assign roles for point people:
• Logistics people should be on hand to make sure there are enough chairs,
that the mics work and to troubleshoot, taking care of anything that goes wrong.
• Panel people will make sure that people speak in the proper order, that name
plates are visible, and that titles and names are correct.
• Media people should have a press packet ready for the press, and call press or
deliver press releases afterward. They should also help the press interview
particular panelists to make sure that photos and a videotape are taken.
• Outreach people should make reminder phone calls the last few nights before
the event to all of their sign-up lists and organizations. Outreach task people
should also greet people as they arrive and make sure they get names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone in attendance.
• Fundraising people should either sell buttons or take up a collection to help
cover costs of the event.
• Coordinating people should oversee the agenda, greet and seat the panelists,
and regularly check-in with other task people.
Solidarity Tactics
If you want students other than those speaking to attend the forum, you must have
something for them to do and the forum should be interesting. Having other students at your forum help to demonstrate large numbers of support for anti-hate
issues, involve larger numbers of students in the campaign, demystify the administration for students, and provide you with a good list of names and phone numbers
for your next event
To show solidarity, students at the forum can wear matching stickers or buttons, hold
signs, applaud at key points, present a petition, do a rap about issues of bigotry and
hatred, and more. This is your chance to come up with creative ideas that will
energize the crowd while adding to your forum.
The Agenda
The Communication and Liaisons point-person and her or his organizers can oversee the agenda. A moderator should introduce the forum, greet panelists, press,
and audience and give a brief explanation of the purpose and the format of the
forum.
The main point of the forum is the panel, but don’t be afraid to use appropriate
poetry, humor, etc. You don’t want such devices to detract from your main purpose,
which is to show the necessity of organizing for better anti-hate measures and to
demonstrate your broad base support. Poetry and humor should add to your panel,
not detract from it by making you appear unorganized. Creativity can help you get
more attention from other students, faculty, administrators and press. Some speeches
should be forceful enough to generate spontaneous applause from the audience.
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Follow up
Make sure to send thank-you letters to all speakers and members. Calls to panelists after the forum may provide any information you promised, keep panelists up to
date on your continued activities, and allow you to find out about any new developments in the process.
In your follow-up, also contact the Student of Color Campus Diversity Project to
provide any useful hints for people whose forums are coming up next, and send
photos from the forum to USSA.
Finally, check on media. You may want to hold a press conference before or after
the forum to clarify and follow-up with any issues or questions raised during the
forum. It’s a good idea to also carry releases to papers, call radio stations, thank
reporters for good coverage-ask the reason why, if you weren’t covered, and begin
to compile all your press clips into one packet (it will later be useful for documenting
your campaign and for future students to learn from your organizing experience.)
Remember, we
always have to
claim and celebrate victories
and set up for our
next campaign.
Debrief and Celebration
Always hold a meeting of all the point task persons to evaluate what went well, what
could have gone better, and why. Finally, don’t forget that everyone deserves a party
after all this work! Remember, we always have to claim and celebrate victories and
set up for our next campaign.
Meetings/ Actions
It is necessary to formally discuss the hate violence issues with your administrators. Proposals for changes should be presented along with a list of goals. Meetings
with administrators of public officials should be well prepared and organizers should
do the following:
1) Set up an appointment with the administrator who can give you what you want
2) Set concrete, realistic goals for this meeting. This includes primary and fall back
demands; what items your organization is willing to negotiate, as well as what items
are inflexible.
3) Have a chairperson for the meeting (the chairperson should have been involved
in preparing the agenda or should be fully briefed)
4) Create an agenda that will accomplish goals, encourage commitment/involvement , and develop leadership roles
5) Prepare a printed agenda, background materials, proposals
6) Assign chairperson/facilitator, a note taker, a timekeeper, presenters
7) Know logistics of the chair and meeting room arrangements
For more information and training on how to plan a meeting with your target schedule a GrassRoots Organizing Weekend for your campus. See last page.
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Petition Drives
The power you show in a petition is the sheer number of people who support your
goals, and who you are willing to mobilize in your campaign. Collect the signatures
and names of a diverse pool of supporters, from students, staff, and faculty.
What you DO with the petition is equally powerful. Whether you decide to hold a
press event to deliver your petitions to the university president (your target), or whether
you release them (covering sensitive information) to the campus and local press,
HOW you use them can pressure your target to act on your demands.
Petition drives should be swift and finite. Collecting 1,000 signatures in 2 days
sends a strong message about the strength of your campaign. Enlist a large number of members to collect signatures, and have each commit to a number of signatures by a certain date.
Wherever useful, take advantage of the internet for collecting on and off campus
petition or campaign endorsements.
Follow-up your petition delivery with a meeting with your target to determine the next
step, and what demands your target is willing to work on.
Elements of a Sample Petition:
Dear Dean ___ , Dean of Student Affairs.
We, students, staff, faculty, and concerned community members, demand
that the office of student affairs institute a free hotline to report hate crimes
and hate incidents on campus. As members of the campus community,
we are entitled to a safe learning environment, free from hate and bigotry,
and urge you, the Dean of Student Affairs, to extend a similar commitment
to campus safety and tolerance.
Signature
Name
Address
....
Please return filled petitions to College Center Union, room 888 by APRIL 5,
1999. This petition and the “Stop the Hate” campaign sponsored by the
Asian American Alliance, La Allianza, ABUSUA, LGBTU, Multicultural Student Coalition, Native American Student Association, and Hillel.
Phone Ins and Fax-Ins
Phone Ins and Fax Ins are useful for getting students to put pressure on your targets
when it is timely. For instance, if the Judiciary Committee of your state legislature is
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about to review hate crimes legislation, then it is timely to make calls to key members
who are still undecided. Some schools have attained donated cell phones for the
day. This allows students to “go to where students are at,”-- lounges, libraries,
cafeterias-- and have students make their calls.
Once you’ve decided who you will be targeting with your calls or faxes, remember :
1) Reserve at least two tables and four phones or faxes with a campus office.
Recruitment offices often have extra phones they use to follow-up with potential
students. If you will be calling long-distance, make sure you have proper codes
and connection for the calls.
2) Heavily publicize the phone and fax-in days and times. Let people know that a 5
minute call can make a big difference. Visit classes or organizations to get
them to come to the call-in day.
3) Prepare a brief phone script, phone numbers, and calling log. The calling log
should report how many people were called, and who organizers they can contact to follow-up.
4) Prepare a sign or banner for the table to draw students to the call-in day.
5) Phone-ins or fax-ins can be linked with a postcard campaign or petition drive.
Accountability Sessions
By Maria Lambert, Student Association of the State Universities of New York Organizing Director, 1999. The information provided here is based on Organizing for
Social Change: An Organizing Manual for Activists in the 1990’s by Kim Bobo,
Jackie Kendall, and Steve Max of the Midwest Academy.
An accountability session is a tactic that can be aimed at one or more of your targets.
It’s a large meeting of your constituents and allies at where your target is held accountable to the students and to the community. It is an event held on your turf,
controlled by you, and open to the public.
At an accountability session, one or more of your targets are invited to meet with
students and hear what they have to say about a particular issue. For example, if
you are working on protection against hate crimes on your campus, some possible
targets to invite could include your college president or chancellor, your college
student affairs officer, the head of your campus’ university law enforcement, or the
chair of your faculty senate. If your state is dealing with hate crimes legislation on a
state or local level, you may want to invite legislators from your area.
At the event, members from your coalition or organization will make brief statements
regarding the issue in question. For example, organizers might present why it is
important that your campus train public safety officers in hate crime prevention and
reporting or why the campus needs to adopt a broad-based policy regarding hate
crimes, etc.
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You then make your demands of the targets, with a score board at the front of the
room, with categories marked “Yes”, “No”, and “Waffle”, and put check marks in the
appropriate categories as your target(s) respond(s). Your target(s) will then have an
opportunity to make brief comments about the issue at hand, and the demands you
have made. After some questions from the audience, you should adjourn the session.
An accountability session is a high power tactic. It requires a few things in order to
be successful. These include:
1) The ability to turn out large numbers of people. This is extremely important.
This event is designed to show student strength and power with regards to this
issue. You need to decide what your target number for audience attendance is, and
recruit approximately 2-3 times that number in order to get the turnout you want.
2) Having direct power over your targets. If your target is a legislator, then you
have some political power (voting) over your target. Whether you can get your
target there will depend on a number of different factors, so make sure you conduct
a realistic power analysis of your targets. If your target is a university official, you
may have some power over them, especially if they are seeking higher positions, or
if your coalition/organization has met with them before. Note: it is crucial that you
get commitments to attend in writing from your targets. If you cannot get commitments in writing from at least some of your targets, it’s unwise to hold the session.
Try lower power build-up tactics.
3) Having enough time to organize the accountability session. This criterion,
while probably the most important, is too frequently overlooked by organizers. It is
critical that you have enough time to: organize a planning committee with the coalition/organization’s key leaders, analyze organizational considerations, decide on
demands, set a date, create plans for logistics, turnout, press, and publicity, develop an agenda, and rehearse before the event. You should give yourself ample
time, at lease six to eight weeks, to plan the event from start to finish (including
follow up!). All told, if you need to plan an action for May 1st and it’s April 15th, you
may want to chose another tactic or action.
If you have checked all these criteria, and decide that an accountability session
seems like a good tactic for you, great!
Here’s a checklist for your accountability session:
•
•
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Are your key leaders on the planning committee?
Have you conducted a power analysis of your target(s)?
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ORGANIZING AGAINST HATE
• Do you have main demands, escalation demands (in case your target
complies quickly with your initial demands), and fallback demands (in case
your target refuses all of your main demands)?
• Are the proposed time/date good for your constituency?
• Have you confirmed the date/time with your target(s)?
• Have your targets committed in writing to attend?
• Do you have an accessible, well-located, and properly equipped site?
• Do you have a turnout plan? Are there enough people to work on it?
•
Do you have a press plan? Does it include:
⇒ an initial press advisory (two to four days prior to event)?
⇒ follow-up calls to media (the day after the press release is sent)?
⇒ press packets for the session?
⇒ photo opportunities mentioned?
⇒ a press table staffed for the event?
⇒ a designated area for TV crews?
⇒ a post-session press release?
⇒ follow-up calls to media who did not attend?
⇒ thank you letters to media that did attend?
•
Does your agenda demonstrate student power and give your members
and leaders visible roles?
•
Do you have a logistics plan? Have you arranged things like refreshments,
words for possible chants or songs, a demands score board, and any
necessary audiovisual equipment and staff, including microphones and
podium?
Rallies and Speakouts
So you’ve met with your target, and nothing concrete has come out of your meeting.
So far, only twenty to thirty people who you’ve worked with are aware of your campuses problems in tracking and addressing campus hate crimes. The rest of the
campus seems to not care. If they only knew how many students have been attacked because of their race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or disability. If only
they knew how many students had transferred or dropped out of school because
these hate incidents went unresolved.
Holding rallies and speakouts can help pull more people into your campaign and
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help show your target that you refuse to stand silent on this issue. Rallies and
speakouts can be a public voicing of your demands, an educational event, an event
that pump up your constituents and allies, or all of the above.
Tactics like rallies cannot force concrete changes unless you have real power over
your target. If you have no voting power, no ability to hurt fundraising or enrollment,
then there is nothing that will force your target to take action with a rally. Your target
may simply wait for the noise to die down and continue to ignore student demands.
However, if you do have power over your target, rallies and speakouts are a good
tactic to expose the situation on campus, and be an escalation of your demands.
Checklist for a rally:
1) Chose a location where your presence will be felt and enhanced. Surrounding
the offices of your targets are useful locations.
2) Make sure there’s a clear understanding beforehand of the expectations of a
rally. Especially if you are not prepared for a civil disobedience, make that clear.
3) Have educational materials ready for distribution.
4) Notify the press of your event, and prepare people in your organization to be your
official press contacts, make sure the are easily identifiable.
5) Prepare chant sheets.
6) Have people gather beforehand to make posters and pickets.
7) Organize a short list of 4-5 speakers after the rally.
8) Define the end of the rally, and follow-up with your target and with organizations
and members who attended and showed visible support for your issue.
Vigils
Hate crimes affect people physically and emotionally, whether you are a victim or a
witness. Holding vigils to remember those affected, hurt, or killed by a hate crime
can be an emotionally draining. However, showing support for victims or in remembrance of victims of hate crimes are effective ways to show the extent that hate
crimes permeate a campus and community, and the need for student education and
organizing on this issue.
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1) Determine a location for the vigil. Vigils can take place after dark, with participants holding candles in remembrance, or during the day with a moment of
silence. The location of your vigil should be in a quiet place, close to a center of
campus, but far enough that other activity and noise won’t interfere with the vigil.
2) Notify campus or local media of your vigil. Prepare a brief press statement.
3) Buy candles, make candle holders, and prepare factsheets or materials needed
for tabling that should occur before and after the vigil.
4) Put up signs and approach student organizations to announce your vigil. The
night before, make a campus-wide poster reminder about the vigil.
5) Ask 1-2 people to speak at the vigil.
6) Before the vigil, get volunteers to pass out candles and literature.
7) Start the vigil on time.
8) Speakers may chose to recognize a few people who have been victims of hate
crimes, whether they are survivors or have passed away. Make sure that you
have permission to use their names.
9) Speakers should connect individual incidents to a national context, citing national statistics and trends involving hate crimes.
10) Close your vigil with a remembrance, and a promise to move forward in preventing hate crimes and addressing hate and intolerance. Where appropriate, cite
proactive solutions that you would like Congress, the state, and your administration to take. (e.g.. supporting affirmative action, passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, increasing Ethnic Studies and Queer Studies, or having a campus
hate crimes prevention policy)
11) Thank people for attending, and encourage them to sign a petition, fill out a
personal statement form, or a postcard in support of hate crimes legislation.
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Application to Host a GROW Training
Please print legibly in ink!
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1st Choice:_________________________
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_________________________________________
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Xerox and return this form to the
GROW Coordinator by fax or mail.
U.S. Student Association
1413 K. Street NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Ph: 202-347-8772
Fax: 202-393-5886
grow@usstudents.org
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Address
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City, State, Zip
__________________________________________________________________________________
Day Phone
Evening Phone
__________________________________________________________________________________
Fax Number
e-mail address
1. Why do you want to host a GROW?
____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. How did you hear about the GROW training and USSA?
___________________________________________________________________________________
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4. What issues are your currently working on?
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please call to confirm we’ve recieved the application!
Call us to sponsor
National Take Affirmative Action Day
October 30!
on your campus!!
I See in Color . . .
Don’t Erase Race !
Erase Racism!!
United States Student Association
Student of Color Campus Diversity Project
www.usstudents.org
Student of Color Campus Diversity Project
1413 K St., NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phn. (202)347-USSA Fax. (202) 393-5886
Email. cdp@usstudents.org Web. www.usstudents.org