Hate in the U.S.A.

In the online manifesto that the shooter at the Masjid Al Noor and Linwood Islamic Center posted before the attacks, he praised Dylann Roof and recited the 14 words ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children") that David Lane, a white supremacist who facilitated the murder of a Jewish host used as a summary for his "White Genocide Manifesto." In a post on 8chan, a far-right space where the Christchurch shooter subsequently linked the livestreamed video of the shooting, he uploaded a meme bearing the words of Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter. These are just some examples of the cross-pollination of white supremacist ideologies and hate-driven violence between the U.S. and the rest of the "Western" world. 

There has not been a more urgent time to learn about hate in America. We invite you to come learn more about the history and current status of hate movements in the U.S., especially here in Connecticut with Kate Chance, Outreach Manager of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). She will also discuss the efforts to combat these movements by fighting hate, teaching tolerance, and seeking justice. Professor Douglas NeJaime will also be joining us and commenting on Alliance Defending Freedom specifically. 

Kate Chance manages the Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama, an interpretive center designed to provide visitors to the Civil Rights Memorial with a deeper understanding of the civil rights movement. She also manages the SPLC on Campus program, which provides resources and support for emerging student activists on campuses across the country. Kate obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Oxford in the Study of Religion, with concentrations in Islam and Hinduism. Prior to her time with SPLC, Kate worked as the Community Engagement Manager at Islamic Networks Group, developing their local and national interfaith programs, as well as for the University of Florida’s Center for Global Islamic Studies and Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions, helping to coordinate conferences and events and creating interfaith initiatives in the Gainesville, Florida area. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Flagler College, with degrees in Psychology, Philosophy and Religion.

Professor Douglas NeJaime is Anne Urowsky Professor of Law at Yale Law School, where he teaches in the areas of family law, legal ethics, law and sexuality, and constitutional law. 

This event is sponsored by OutLaws, Black Law Students Association, Latinx Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Yale Law Women, Civil Rights Project and American Constitution Society. 

By popular demand, pizza lunch will be served. There will also free fun buttons to complete your SJW look.