Headlines like yesterday’s “Lynching threat made against Shreveport mayoral candidate” are just one of many reasons why we have joined Communities Overcoming Extremism: The After Charlottesville Project, an effort led by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
As the ADL notes, there has been a "dramatic rise in extremism, intolerance, and political violence cities and communities…in the year since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last August."
If you wonder how close this strikes to home, be sure to visit the H.E.A.T. map that the ADL is charting on their site. It’s a dismal reflection on us all, and it underscores the need for our vigilance as organizations and citizens. We have a lot to learn with our partners in this effort, and we believe that working with others in this light will help us all as we work to contribute to a more loving world.
Sharif Azami, Fetzer program officer and advisor to the After Charlottesville Project says this initiative "will help cities across America be better prepared to respond to hate crime and violence and will invite conversations around bridge building and healing.”
Summits this fall and next spring will focus on public and private sector experience and solutions to extremism in society. Some of topics we will grapple with include:
- First and Second Amendments and public safety
- Anti-bias and anti-bullying education
- Addressing “otherization” of immigrant communities
- Addressing hate online
We will share news on this project as it develops, including tools and podcasts that the ADL will be creating in support of After Charlottesville.
Find more details and sign up for project updates here.