Friend,

The United States has a hate crime problem.

The latest FBI hate crime report documented the highest number of hate crimes ever recorded ([link removed] , including the highest number of race-based crimes. The annual tally of reported hate crimes has risen steadily since 2014, but this doesn't capture the severity of the problem. Most incidents go unreported, making it difficult to find meaningful solutions to this systemic problem.

A hate crime is defined by the FBI ([link removed] ) as a violent or property crime - such as murder, arson, assault or vandalism - that is "motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity."

This year, the SPLC is designating October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month and leading a national conversation about how to prevent hate and foster an inclusive democracy where each of us feels safe and welcome in our communities. Throughout the month, we'll be sharing the important research, analysis and policy recommendations that form our hate crime prevention strategy.

In a country with a long history of racial discrimination and violence, we believe that it will be difficult - but not impossible - to free our communities from the terror of hate crimes. It starts with addressing the chronic underreporting of hate crimes.

The FBI's hate crimes report, mandated under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 ([link removed] , is compiled from the voluntary submissions of the 18,000 federal, state, university, city and tribal law enforcement authorities across the country. These authorities aren't required to report any
data - and many choose not to. For example, over 3,000 agencies did not report any data to the FBI in 2021, and dozens of other cities with populations over 100,000 affirmatively reported zero hate crimes.

This lack of participation does a grave disservice to the victims of hate crimes. The harm these crimes cause to victims and their communities can never be reduced to mere numbers. But we cannot adequately address a problem without accurately measuring it. The solution is clear - the federal government must require full and accurate reporting of all hate crimes.

While enforcement is critical, our ultimate goal is to prevent hate crimes. As Hate Crimes Awareness Month continues, keep following along as we discuss the historical roots, modern-day threat and future prevention of hate crimes in the United States.

First and foremost, during this month we are reminded that behind every hate crime is a victim of violence, intimidation or vandalism who was targeted for no other reason than their race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation. Thank you for being a part of our work to create a world where no one must fear for their safety because of who they are or where they were born.

Sincerely,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

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