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We know that data drives policy. First and foremost, it is impossible to address our nation’s hate crime problem without measuring it accurately. The FBI has been collecting hate crime data as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system for 33 years and provides the best national snapshot of the issue. Unfortunately, reporting is not mandatory, and, year in and year out, the data is clearly incomplete. Improving data collection requires that both targeted people report crimes and that police are trained to identify, report and respond to hate violence. Prevention is better than enforcement. Congress and the administration should promote inclusive education and democracy-building school initiatives that celebrate our nation’s diversity — and fiercely oppose efforts to censor the teaching of hard history and place restrictions on inclusive education. Concealing the truth about our history does not protect our youth – it makes them susceptible to misinformation and fails to equip them with the critical thinking skills and education needed to navigate the disinformation and manipulation spreading on the internet. Recommendations The administration and Congress must take meaningful actions that prioritize combatting all forms of hate, promoting mutual respect and understanding, and ensuring that all people in America, regardless of their background, feel protected and valued. Congress should enact H.R. 7648, bipartisan legislation that would condition federal funding for large police agencies on reporting credible hate crime data to the FBI – or meaningful community hate crime prevention and awareness initiatives. We applaud the Justice Department’s United Against Hate Initiative. Each of the 94 U.S. attorneys should promote comprehensive hate crime reporting for all cities in their jurisdictions and designate a person or team to lead hate crime prevention and response. Federal agencies should establish and fund programs to build community resiliency against hate, inoculate against extremism and empower adults to help steer young people away from violent extremism. The work SPLC is doing with American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) to promote age-appropriate public health approaches to prevent exposure to radicalization extremist content provides a valuable model and resources. Congress should provide more funding for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate and prosecute hate crimes – and more funding for community-based hate crime prevention initiatives, and for the department's Community Relations Service to hire new professionals to help mediate, train and facilitate in communities with intergroup tensions and in the aftermath of hate crimes. The Department of Education should fund programs aimed at preventing extremism and promoting deradicalization – and move from punishment models to restorative justice initiatives that build community resilience. Funding should also be provided to promote civics education and develop curricula on structural racism, as well as funding for states to implement their own related initiatives. Consistent with the First Amendment and privacy considerations, the administration and Congress should adopt rules and regulations to ensure that tech companies increase accountability and transparency and comply with civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination.
Your support fuels our work to urge lawmakers to take the necessary steps to adequately tackle the hate crime crisis through sensible legislation. Help the SPLC today by urging your lawmakers to support credible hate crime reporting legislation. By contacting your member of Congress, you are using your voice to defend victims of hate crimes while advocating for transformative policies that will heal our communities.
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