Friend,

There's an urgent need to confront the hate-filled forces that
seek to divide our nation, and yesterday's United We Stand
Summit held by the White House represents a pivotal step in the
nation's efforts to address the hate, violence and extremism
that is threatening our communities and our democracy.

Participants in and organizers of the deadly January 6, 2021,
insurrection at the U.S. Capitol included many people associated with
hate and extremist groups, such as the Proud Boys

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and Oath Keepers

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, as well as military and law enforcement veterans and active-duty
members. The rising acceptance of extremist ideology in mainstream
society paired with recent hate and extremist violence illustrates the
deep need for a national strategy to combat hate and extremism.

The summit convened local, state and federal policymakers, civil
rights groups, faith and community leaders, technology and business
leaders, law enforcement, survivors of hate-fueled violence and others
to counter the corrosive effects of extremism on our democracy and
public safety.

In advance of the summit, the SPLC began developing recommendations
and goals that were proposed to the White House. We drew on
our Year in Hate and Extremism report
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; on congressional testimony the SPLC has submitted over the past two
years on extremism in the military

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, on the financing of hate on the internet

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, on violence directed against historically Black colleges and
universities

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 and other minority communal institutions; on our submission

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 to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;
and our Learning for Justice
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 resources.

When the summit was announced, we set out three main goals for the
White House convening: 

* Improve hate crime data collection and response. It is
impossible to tackle our nation's hate crime problem
without measuring it accurately. Though the FBI has been
collecting hate crime data from the nation's 18,000 law
enforcement agencies since 1991, the reporting is voluntary, and
many agencies do not collect hate crime data or provide it to
the FBI. 

* Center the victims and survivors of hate crimes, extremism and
gun violence. We cannot arrest or prosecute racism, hatred or
extremism out of existence. The focus must be on addressing the
harms of hate-fueled violence, supporting victims and their
families and working to heal and build resilience in their
communities.

* Commit to long-term prevention initiatives. With an
important presidential spotlight, we see the summit as an
opportunity for elected officials and faith, business and
community leaders to come together to identify best practices to
confront hate-fueled violence. But we warned that the event
should not be a one-off photo opportunity. Instead, we expressed
our hopes that the summit will address the root causes of hate
and extremism - and demonstrate a continuing commitment to
promote shared democratic values, confront long-term
contributors to extremism, and build community healing, trust
and resilience.

Earlier this week, we outlined our policy recommendations in a
letter 

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to Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice.

Yesterday's summit represents an important first step, with
important commitments from the White House on which we and our allies
can build. We welcome the Biden administration's resounding call
for justice and a better future for all our communities. We'll
be pressing the administration to continue to address these issues
- in Washington and with community-based follow-up field
hearings and roundtables to highlight evidence-based best practices,
public-private partnerships, restorative justice initiatives, and
effective law enforcement and community responses to hate crimes and
extremism that can be replicated and scaled.

In solidarity,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
 

The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.

Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?

DONATE

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