Part 1

                     Hate crimes have been around since the beginning of history, but the term “hate crime” is relatively new. As defined by Merriam-Webster, a hate crime is a crime that violates the victim’s civil rights and that is motivated by hostility to the victim’s race, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender. It was not until after the civil rights movement that Americans actually started recognizing that hate crimes were becoming a big problem. Before this movement, it was commonplace to treat people of race inadequately, rudely, and even cruelly. Lynching and beatings were nothing out of the ordinary. Although slavery was abolished centuries ago, it took almost that amount of time for these people to reach equality with the whites, and yet it still doesn’t seem to be the case even today.

                     The Civil Rights Act of 1875 first required equal facilities for blacks and whites. This is where segregation comes in to play. It wasn’t until 1954 that the decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka declared segregation unconstitutional (“Civil Rights”). While most of the resisters were in the South, the country was not about to change the ways of the stereotypes and suddenly treat these people as equals. Everywhere, blacks were treated rudely and unfairly. It was only a matter of how rudely and unfairly they were treated based on the geographical location. Even in the North, where the idea was widely accepted, nothing was even close to how it is today. 

                     The Civil Rights Movement started in the 1950’s, and one of the major leading events was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, of which the forerunner was the famous Rosa Parks. The Sit-In movement was also a very influential assertion for this point in time. Although both of these statements had huge impact on the legal aspect of improper treatment towards people of race, i.e. laws regarding the rights of black people, it didn’t stand a chance of helping to change people’s already existing opinions. “Throughout the period, civil rights activists—black and white—were frequently kicked, beaten, clubbed or shot; many were killed. Legal action against perpetrators was rare” (Jost). People believed so strongly in the mistreatment of blacks that they were even attacking white sympathizers.

                     Blacks, however, are not the only people who have been targeted victims of racial prejudging throughout American history. Irish immigrants, Chinese immigrants, Jewish immigrants have been prejudiced against throughout history, not to mention the Japanese internment camps, which were comparable to the extermination camps during the holocaust, but without the “Final Solution.”

                     The Final Solution was the “purification of the world.” Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, spread beliefs about the racial purity of an ideal Aryan race. For some reason, he believed that eliminating or reducing the amount of “impure” people would help make the world a better place. He wanted to focus on working on the Aryan race to further the progress of the world. His solution was to try and exterminate all these inferior races for the benefit of the rest of mankind (www.americannaziparty.com).

                     Unfortunately for us, Hitler still has many followers today. The American Nazi Party, among numerous other neo-Nazi groups, carries on many of Hitler’s beliefs through National Socialism. The belief is still out there that people of different colors and religion are inferior, and therefore should be eliminated (www.americannaziparty.com).

                     Aside from today’s neo-Nazi groups, there is another major threat to the ideals of this great country, and that is the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan has been around since the end of the Civil War when slavery was shut down and blacks were given the same freedoms and rights as whites. The original goal of the KKK was to prevent blacks from acquiring voting rights, but as their objective came within reach, the group began to stand only to intimidate and undermine blacks (“Ku Klux Klan”). Groups of white men, mostly southerners, who were bitter about the outcome of the war, would ride around in white cloaks setting fire to places and lynching black men and white sympathizers whenever they saw fit. After WWI, the KKK also forwarded their hostility towards Jews, Roman Catholics, socialist, communists, and other people of race or anyone deemed “foreign” (“Ku Klux Klan”). As society has progressed, so have the values and goals of the KKK.

                     Today the KKK holds values similar to those of the ANP, but focuses more on white pride than extermination of the inferior. According to Rachel Pendergraft, premier spokeswoman for the racialist movement, the KKK believes that whites today are not given the credit they deserve, and that people should stand up and fight for what they believe is right, which is not unlike the original beliefs of their founding fathers (www.kkk.com). The website focuses on loving the white race rather than on hating other races. The scariest part about this tactic is that it sounds so practical and harmless, so it’s not surprising that so many young people buy into the KKK’s seemingly peaceful demeanor.

                     Influential groups such as these are one of the causes of hate crimes. Although more hate crimes are committed by individuals than by groups, it is the ideas and values of these groups which inspire so many to go out and commit these violent acts towards minorities and those who they feel are inferior.

                        Hate crimes were first recognized as a problem in the late 70’s early 80’s. The Anti-Defamation League, a group that stands against prejudices against any race or religion, particularly anti-Semitism, went through many struggles trying to get laws passed against hate crimes. Hate crimes did not begin to be thoroughly recorded until around 1991. It took a long time for the federal law to be passed which said that hate crime information should be gathered annually for statistical purposes. Finally in 1990, the law was passed (Jost). This means that there is only a limited amount of statistics out there, and there is not much to base research off of. The most recent statistics, those from 2003, show that incidents of hate crimes have risen from 2002 to 2003 (“FBI Releases”). In the future, there will be more accurate statistics depicting the rises and falls of hate crimes over the years and what may account for them, but we can only hope there will be no need to record any statistics of this nature in the future.
                       A more recent example of outbreaks in hate crimes and overt prejudice was a result of the attack on the twin towers. “After 9/11, statistics on hate crimes have taken on added importance as several minorities, particularly those hailing from the Middle East or even South Asia, have complained of rising violence and discrimination.” (India Times) There were a lot of defensive feelings regarding the subject, and many Americans, like the Southerners after the Civil War, felt angry and vengeful.
               People sometimes fail to realize that terrible things like these still happen. They don't like to think about the night that Howard Griffith, a black construction worker, was chased by a group of white teenagers with baseball bats onto a highway, where he was hit by a car and killed (Hightower et al.). They don't like to think that there actually are kids out there with all sorts of white supremacist beliefs, just waiting to strike some upstanding citizen because he or she is not white. 

                        More often than not, incidents like this are ignored. Ignorance may be bliss, but the truth is, pretending something does not exist will not remove the problem. People need to address these situations and recognize that they do still take place, and that something needs to be done about it.

                        One major spreader of the hate is Matt Hale, the leader of the “Creativity Movement.” The Creativity Movement was one of the largest hate organizations in the 1990’s. The group believes that the white race is “nature’s highest creation,” and anything else is considered a “mud race.” Matt Hale has done a great job on the aspect of publicity, distributing information by all means, like pamphlets and newsletters. Most importantly, “Hale recognizes that the internet ‘has the potential to reach millions of White People with our message and we need to act on that immediately’” (“Matt Hale”). At one point there was a website directed towards children, with fun colors, crosswords, and other amusing activities, to try and lure them over.

                        Although this particular website has ceased to exist, there are many others like it that are still out there. It is for this reason that many young people acquire such racist beliefs, and being as impressionable as they are, children tend to keep these same beliefs for the remainder of their lives. So far, younger generations have continued to be influenced into thinking that this is the right way, then spreading these beliefs to the next generations, and that is why racism and prejudices are still around today.
               

Part 2

                     Hate crimes are becoming a bigger problem as more and more of America’s youth is exposed to the persuasiveness of new prejudice sources. First of all, if not taught proper ideals by their parents, children will never learn them. The environment the children grow up in, also influenced by parental guidance, plays another huge role in one’s outlook on life. More recently, new forms of spreading racist goals to youngsters have come about, including the easily-accessible websites of racist organizations, and a new trend of the free music distributed by some such organizations. With all these influences, it is no wonder that so many impressionable teenagers these days have succumbed to the misguided path of racial prejudice and the association if this with violent punishment.

                     Most people would agree that children grow up believing, for the most part, in whatever their parents taught them, for parents are the biggest influence in any one person’s life. Thus, it goes without saying that if parents teach their children racist ideals, it is likely that the children will end up racist. Dr. Ferguson, the principal at Hinsdale Central High School, emphasizes this point by saying that in his experience, the biggest influences on racist values in a child are the parents. He continues to say that the best way to prevent it is to deal with parents first, because future generations will always reflect the values of their parents.

                     Children of future generations are influenced by parents, media, and their environment, among other things. Perhaps the worst thing, in this case, to be passing on to our children is the concept of race itself. Categorizations of someone as “black” or “Asian” are exactly what lead to racism and discrimination in the first place. They create and strengthen existing division between people; so if a parent were to teach their children to celebrate their heritage and have pride for their ethnicity, he is really enforcing the concepts of differences and perhaps beginning to plant the seeds of some type or another of discrimination and racism. Such is the case with Indian clubs or black clubs; it only reinforces the ideas of segregation by being exclusive to whites and people of other races (Ma).

                     Besides parental influence, there are many other things that can affect one’s viewpoint on the world, environment being one of the most important. The people and places a person is surrounded by have a great impact on who he or she will become. If someone was brought up in a more diverse town, it is quite possible that this person will be more accepting and tolerable than others because he is surrounded by differences all the time. At the same time, however, a person with more exposure to diversity might notice separations within the community, particularly those of gangs. Thus, one would perhaps grow fearful of a particular race simply based on his experiences with the association of a specific ethnic group with that particular gang. It is just such a case in less fortunate neighborhoods, where perhaps the whites feel threatened by their black neighbors in a sort of economic sense, and hence they develop racist values. More often than not, it is only when the community has the money and the means to become well-educated; in a community such as Hinsdale, for example; that the people can “afford” to be open-minded and accepting (Ferguson).

                     Probably the most influential source out there today, however, would have to be the internet. The internet is without a doubt the most accessible outsource right now in today’s society. When people like Matt Hale come to the realization of just how powerful a tool this medium could actually prove to be, then more and more unwelcome ideas are allowed to flow into mainstream society. Everyone has access to the internet; there is not a more effective way of communicating any sort of idea in this day and age.

                     Easily accessible to today’s children and teenagers are the official websites for white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan at www.kkk.com, the American Nazi Party at www.americannaziparty.com, and the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party at www.nazi.org. Easily accessible through these websites are lists of ideals and goals that the groups set out to achieve. Many of these goals may seem appealing to young adults because they are exciting and the groups are passionate about them.

                     In an intelligence report article by Bob Moser of Stanford University, it is stated that perhaps the reason so many white kids are joining these forces is that “they also see Hispanics, lesbians and gay men, Asian-Americans and others embraced and recognized—while straight white culture seems, from their limited vantage points, to be dissed and demonized” (Hightower et al.).

                     As more white kids start to feel underappreciated, more of them join organizations which, like the KKK, state on the website that they are more of a white pride group, just like any Asian pride or Pakistani pride group, than any violent organization aimed at taking down the nation’s minorities. This is where the whole idea of race comes in. If kids had no sense of race in the first place, there would be no need for any sort of pride group.

                     The government also acknowledges the growing concern for this disastrous ongoing. “The internet has become a new frontier for spreading hateful materials,” states the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) in a letter to the chairman of the Anti-Defamation League (“Internet”). The letter goes on to address the conflict of first amendment rights, the right to freedom of speech. For the most part, nothing mentioned by the websites has been deemed outright illegal. Everything has been so far protected by the first amendment. “Most hateful expression is protected speech… unless the speech contains a direct, credible threat against an identifiable individual, organization, or institution—at which point it may cross the line into criminal conduct.” (“Internet”) It is also stated within the letter that simply the mentions of such threats are generally not themselves illegal, it is only when they are inspired to be performed in the real “offline” world that will induce penalties.

                     It is also noteworthy to say that although violent messages of hate are almost always put out there by some sort of group or organization, the crimes themselves are generally committed by individuals who have been inspired by the persuasive messages (Hightower et al.). “Experts say about 90 percent of bias-related crimes are done by individuals, not hate groups” (Sprague)

                     A recent school shooting on an Ojibwa reservation displays this perfectly. 16-year-old Jeff Weise stole his grandfather’s .22 caliber gun. He then drove to Red Lake Senior High School, where he shot and killed five students and injured seven more before then shooting himself in the head. There were reports that Jeff Weise had posted on the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party, under the usernames NativeNazi and Todesengel, German for “Angel of Death.” A post from March, 2004 says, “I stumbled across the site in my study of the Third Reich as well as Nazism. I guess I’ve always carried a natural admiration for Hitler and his ideals, and his courage to take on larger nations” (“Student”). This is a perfect up-to-date example of the types of tragedies that hateful organizations, such as the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party, can spout.

                     Another problem that has been encountered is the debate over definition. The definition of what a hate crime is and is not varies from state to state, and from U.S. Federal Law (“Internet”). Different charges and punishments are distributed to criminals depending on the severity of the crime and also depending on how it is viewed as a hate crime. This is a problem because some people may be getting away with heinous crimes and not being punished properly for them. Without fair punishment, people won’t realize the seriousness of their actions.

                     The point is that regardless of by what means the information is spread to the public, the fact remains that hate crimes and prejudice are both still very prevalent in today’s society. It is interesting that in a time and age when people should be embracing the values of tolerance and acceptance, the seemingly only thing that is really being produced is more hate. The most important thing to note is that young people are always going to be the targets of such organizations. Adults have already made up their minds about such things; there is not much hope for changing their opinions. Young people are still extremely impressionable, so naturally they are targeted first to market the ideas.

                     Another extremely effective way of doing so is to distribute music. Just this past fall, Panzerfaust records, a neo-Nazi record label, launched “Project Schoolyeard,” a program designed to allocate free CDs to kids aged 13-19. The CDs consisted of hardcore metal music with hateful lyrics. The program was very strategic; Panzerfaust’s marketing tactics were very effective in recruiting white supremacists to willingly distribute the CDs. The idea was that the unknowing teenagers would listen to the sings, because after all, who wouldn’t want to listen to a free CD, and after enough time, the lyrics and concepts presented in them would eventually take residence in their impressionable minds (Foxman).

                     Neo-Nazism is something this nation should be concerned about. Children, the future of this country, are being attacked. There may be no resolution to the existing opinions of today’s adults, but to let these hateful and violent opinions be passed on through another generation would lead to nothing but disaster. It is in our children, in our future, that we must plant our hopes for a truly free America. Everything this country is grounded upon lies on diversity. In disagreement with the Ku Klux Klan’s ludicrous argument that this nation was founded by white Protestants and therefore is a white Protestant nation, although the first part may be true in part, America’s history is all about diversity and getting along with those different from ourselves. Immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds are the cause for the rich assortment of cultural influences found in this country. If taken away, on what would this country stand? It is imperative that action be taken to stop the spread of white supremacist beliefs to our children, and to make sure that the value of diversity within this country is acknowledged and embraced.

Part 3

                        Although it may seem hopeless to some, we have come this far, so there must be some ultimate solution to hate crimes. The most important thing to do in any situation is to try and get at the root of the problem. The first thing to consider when planning a solution to this particular problem is that children are the ones that are most impressionable. It is also the children who will carry our world into the future, and our attempts to try and prevent racism and prejudice from taking root in the minds of these children in the first place will eventually continue on to future generations, where racism will hopefully cease to spread.

                        This is why the E-racists, an anti-racism/anti-hate crime organization, hopes to target young people with its messages. The E-racists are a non-profit organization, with bases in all major cities across the nation, committed to suppressing racism and stopping racially-biased hate crimes. Through government funding, we will be able to build a foundation for the program. Starting with a website, www.e-racism.com, the E-racists will begin to get their name and message out there. Pamphleteering, television and radio commercials, and word of mouth will also be important.

                        After establishing a reputation, the E-racists will start fundraising methods. Community efforts, such as bake sales or concerts, will help raise money for local branches. There will also be E-racist clubs set up within the public school system, which will be addressed later on, where fundraising will also be possible. Donations will also play an important role in the funding of this organization. At every E-racist event, there will be an opportunity for donation. The address for donations will also be clearly marked on every pamphlet, poster, or flier, so that it will be more convenient for people to donate. For big events, the E-racists hope to attract sponsorship from large companies like McDonald’s or Pepsi.

                        The main goal of the E-racists is just that: erasing racism. The E-racists will not stop at the basics, like ethnic awareness and harsher punishments for committers of hate crimes, although these will also play a role in the organization, but the main focus will be more on digging deeper to stop the problem before it even starts. The E-racists believe that harsher punishments, although somewhat effective, will never accomplish enough to fully conquer the problem. The only way to effectively combat racism is to stop it at the root.

                        The ultimate root of most problems is bad parenting, which often leads to low self esteem in teenagers. If bad parenting is not prevented, which in many cases it may not be, children must learn values from their other environments. This is where the educational system comes in. To help raise self esteem in teens, high schools have programs like Character Counts!, along with school social workers and counselors. Although it would seem logical to make sure non-whites feel accepted, which is the focus for some of these existing programs, it is the goal of the E-racists to target white teenagers instead.  In some cases, a white teenager with low self esteem will feel the need to make himself feel powerful, and that can include bullying people of different races. By shifting the focus of existing beliefs about low self esteem, the E-racists are one step closer to preventing that one upset white kid from committing a heinous, racially-biased hate crime in the future.

                        Once the E-racists have gotten to the root of the problem, they will not stop. There are still many more reforms to make. One thing high schools and colleges, such as UIUC, are doing to help students feel accepted is by making “racial pride” groups for students of different ethnicities to join. Schools assume that these are the people who feel least accepted, and their mentality is that if students of the same race can come together and celebrate their culture together, it will promote higher self-esteem. This is wonderful, because students will join these groups and suddenly they feel like they are a part of something that not everyone is able to be a part of. This way, they can feel superior to others, which is what people want.

                        This, however, is exactly what creates the problem. Take, for example, the Asian American Association at UIUC. The students will be so caught up in their superiority to others by being Asian that the groups tend to work in a rather backwards fashion. Students will focus solely on their own race and how great it is that they become extremely exclusive. For example, if the AAA is having an Asian Barbeque, it is for the most part assumed that only Asians are invited to attend. Instances such as this one work quite opposite the direction of the goal of racial awareness, and instead only stand to further promote separation between different ethnic groups.

                        The E-racists have a plan. It would be possible to go around and try to alter the underlying goals of these clubs. If the goal of the Asian American Association was not to celebrate the culture among themselves, but rather to share their heritage with other cultures, perhaps the main goal of racial awareness would be more reachable.

                        The E-racists will present a program to promote inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness. Like Amnesty International, the E-racists will set up branches within schools. There will be E-racist clubs in different high schools and colleges throughout the country.  The way the club will operate is that it will go around the school providing informative pamphlets, posters, and all sorts of anti-racist themes. There will be a school-wide assembly presented by the E-racist club, which will be similar to the “Break Down the Walls” campaign, but it will focus more on racism than bullying. In addition, every type of ethnic club at the school will have one of its members be an E-racist representative. This way, the different clubs can all be brought together through this link.

In a potential example of an E-racist-organized event, the Asian American Association will get together with the Habesha Culture Club and the Hindu Students Council and the Mexican Student Association, and everyone will come together for a large ethnic picnic. It will not be unlike the Ethnic Fairs held annually at different high schools throughout the nation; where booths are set up for different countries. People from the clubs, along with other students and members of the community, will share food, music, art, and everything about their culture with all the rest of the people. Students would not only able to learn about their own culture, but are able to learn about others’ cultures as well. This way, they can still celebrate their respective cultures, but everything will be celebrated together, thus promoting people of different ethnicities to get along. What is most essential is to have these groups focus more inclusively than exclusively.

                        But even though this would be an extremely effective means of integration, there is no way of controlling how many people choose to become a part of these ethnic groups and clubs and things of the sort. One way to have a profound effect on the greatest number of students would be to have an assembly of some sort.

                        With the aid of Dave Chappelle, George Lopez, and Margaret Cho, some of the leading names in stand-up comedy, the E-racists hope to accomplish an outstanding presentation focused on racism and hate crime awareness. Dave Chappelle’s comedy relies heavily on racial connotations. In a CBS news report, it can be deduced that Dave believes that the more familiarized we are with race, the less racist the world will be. The E-racists picked him specifically for this reason. He is able to shed a friendly light on the subject, yet people will still be able to take him seriously.

                        George Lopez is a well known Hispanic comedian, although he was quoted in an article from Parade magazine as saying, “Hispanic? I say, why be associated with a word that has ‘panic’ in it?” It is clear that George Lopez makes a point to go beyond racial boundaries, yet he still shows a lot of pride for his culture and heritage. Margaret Cho is the same way; she is a famous Korean Comedian. “Margaret has been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, PFLAG and the National Organization for Women for ‘making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity’” (General Bio). Clearly, Margaret Cho is no newcomer to making a difference in this world, which is why the E-racists selected her as a very important addition.

                        The assembly will no doubt be a very difficult even to pull off, but based on the stars’ history, The E-racists have concluded that with the right letters, sponsors, and funding, it would be completely do-able. Celebrities volunteer for important causes all the time, so this will be no different. It should also be easy to get sponsors for the event in a letter sent explaining everything, including the plans, and costs. If we do not end up receiving enough sponsorship, it won’t be difficult to organize fundraisers through local schools and community centers. The tour will continue for about a month, touring different cities in stadiums and possibly school auditoriums all throughout the country. It will also be recorded and televised for those who would not be able to physically attend, and the tapes will also be shown in schools as a fun, yet educational, addition to their lesson plans. 

                        Although celebrities are a great way of attracting attention, the thing that will be most convincing to teenagers is a first-hand account. In addition to having an anti-hate crime assembly presented by celebrities, it would also be important to give presentations from ex hate crime offenders. The E-racists will recruit volunteers of reformed racists who once committed a hate crime(s), and who want to point out the error of their ways to others. These assemblies will be more personal, and will also be more practical to present in high schools across the country. It is also a way for students to be formally introduced to the consequences that could occur should they choose to pursue such endeavors.

                        Aside from personal relations, one very important issue must be addressed, and that is the availability of racist sources through the internet. Previously mentioned websites, like those of the Ku Klux Klan and the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party, are easily accessible to teenagers. School web blockers will censor pornographic websites and drug-affiliated websites, but through my experience in conducting research for this very paper, web blockers do nothing to prevent students from viewing these racist websites. I had no problem accessing the Ku Klux Klan website and various pro-Nazi websites from the Hinsdale Central server. The E-racists will work to prevent this from occurring by informing schools about the intentions of these websites and how they can influence the students.

                        With the aforementioned plans under its belt, the E-racists will surely be an extremely effective way of combating the problem of hate crimes and racism itself. Through the targeting of low self esteem in schools, kids really will not feel any need to feel superior towards others, thus decreasing the chance of someone becoming racist. By establishing the coming together of different racial groups to form one big ethnic celebration, students will learn the diversity and importance of different cultures, thus feeling more comfortable about differences. With a nationwide program featuring popular comedians, young people are likely to listen and give the topic some thought. Through all these methods, racial hate crimes will decrease substantially.