Hate Crimes in the United States: Causes, Impact, and the Role of Social Justice

A hate crime is a crime coordinated to an individual or group of individuals because of age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. This is an issue which included the dominant groups acting in ways to maintain their power and status in society, the use of different types of institutions to discriminate against the target group. On February 21, I attended the Southern Poverty Law Center event at MSU.

This event was hosted by Lecia Brooks, Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that is focused on eradicating hate and fighting the impacts of poverty with innovation lawsuits and education programs. The SPLC was found by lawyers Joseph Levin and Morris Dees in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery, Alabama. The SPLC win a couple of lawsuits.

I found this event very interesting to attend because it was discussion what the Southern Poverty Law Center about it, the hated crime that has been increasing for the last couple years and it was related to social justice. To be honest, before the event I thought there were not be many people attended the event and it would be kind of boring but I was very surprised that a lot of people show up on the event. It was an amazing event. So, for the last four years, the SPLC has been tracking down the hated groups.

SPLC has found a 30 percent increase in U.S. hate groups over the past four years and a 7 percent increase in hate group groups in 2018 alone. They were 1,020 organizations as hate groups in 2018, which was the highest for at least 20 years. Also, SPLC found that the majority of the hate groups in the United States are driven by white supremacists ideology which including neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, racist skinheads, neo-confederates and white nationalists.

The most interesting things I found out on the event was that 12 groups of the hated crime were just in Minnesota and 146 hated crime in 2017 was reported in Minnesota too. Even though I lived in Minnesota, I had no idea about those number was just in Minnesota. However, one of the wells know a hated crime happened in Minnesota was in 2018, when three Illinois men come down here and bombing a mosque in Bloomington. So, hearing those kinds of news is very scared.

Unfortunate, it’s really heartbroken that only the minorities group still suffering a lot on the hate crime in this country. For example, the Islamophobia has increased by 15 percent in the Muslim community. The black communities are still the victims of hate crime more than any other group in the United States. While black Americans have long been targets of hate, advocacy groups, and victims.

They have a range of 30-40 percent higher. Even now hate crimes are also directed at the people because of their sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. The attack against the LGBT community was the most common but it was never reported. There were also the Anti-Semitic which have been increased by 22 percent in 2018. The anti-immigrated has become a significant political issue in this country. In 2001 was only 1 percent by 2010 it was increased by 40 percent. Because of the new administration, it gets worst and it may have encouraged more people to express their intolerance toward the minorities groups.

The code of ethics, from both the IFSW and the NASW, are core values that help social workers make ethical decisions in hope to enhance the well-being of the client. The NASW explain through their code of ethics that social workers should understand that the “social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, mental or physical disability.”

Social justice is an important concept that social workers should apply to. So, the IFSW cold of ethics said that the social justice includes the challenging negative of discrimination against others, challenging unjust policies and practices. It is the social worker’s responsibility to engage people in achieving social justice.

At the end of her lecture, Lecia Brooks allowed some time for questions and answer segment. This was nice because it kind blurred the line between her, the audience. I didn’t ask her any question but it was especially great when they allowed the audience to talk to her one on one after the event. She seems happy to answer any question.it was a great event to attend. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event and I’m happy that I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know before.

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