A Leader in Fighting Hate, Brooklyn College Steps Up
On Wednesday, April 9, the Center for Study of Brooklyn, a public policy and affairs research institute based in Brooklyn College, and We Are All Brooklyn, an organization that promotes cooperation and mutual respect among Brooklyn’s diverse communities, are sponsoring a teach-in to prevent hate crimes in the borough. The event, called “Stepping Up: a Community Conference to Prevent Hate Crimes” will be held at the Brooklyn College Conference Center, from 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.
     “If left unchecked, bias and misunderstanding may ultimately lead to the perpetration of violence,” said Gretchen Maneval, director of the Center for Study of Brooklyn.
     According to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, the number of cases of hate crimes rose citywide by over 10 percent in 2007.
    “We cannot afford to ignore this reality…it is our goal that the Stepping Up teach-in participants will begin to craft a clear road map of how all of us Brooklynites can play an active role in embracing each other's diverse religions, cultures, sexual orientation and experiences so that one day the term hate crime will be a benign reference in the history books of our grandchildren's children.” Maneval added.
    Underwritten by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (an affiliate of the United Jewish Association), the Stepping Up teach-in will provide a forum for Brooklyn community leaders, educators, and residents, together with the BC faculty, staff, and students, to discuss the best ways to prevent hate crime in our daily lives.
    The program will include keynote speaker Rev. Clinton Miller, of the Brown Memorial Baptist Church; Hassan Askari, a Bangladeshi Muslim who defended Walter Adler, a Jewish man who was being attacked by a gang in a city subway station; Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes; and Sergeant Ronald Lynch, of the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
    During a break-out session of their choice, teach-in participants will explore the spectrum of hate, and identify best practices in prevention through the lens of community based, faith based, youth, higher education, and policy and advocacy organizations. Several BC faculty and staff will serve as panelists on higher education efforts related to hate crime prevention.
     A Hate Crimes Task Force made up of teach-in participants will continue to work beyond the April 9th event.