Lehigh's Council for Equity and Community Meets to Discuss Hate

Prompted by three hate crimes making national news within 72 hours in late October, The Council for Equity and Community Education and Dialogue Committee at Lehigh led the “The Hate You See” discussion in the Bayer Galleria at Linderman Library on Dec. 7.

While the event was in direct response to two African-American shoppers fatally shot at grocery store in Kentucky, mail bombs sent to media outlets and prominent Democratic leaders and activists and a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that killed 11 all within days, conversations touched upon all forms of hate and hate crimes.

As students, faculty and staff filtered into the room, a clip from CNN detailing the “72 Hours of Hate” played on a screen at the front of the room. Guidelines for effective dialogue, which included reminders that it’s fine to disagree, just don’t blame, shame, or attack, and that confidentiality should be maintained, were distributed.

The one-hour discussion, which was the second Tackling Tough Topics Together event of the school year, did not have a speaker. Instead, three different questions were posed to those in attendance. To discuss each question individually, the room was set up to accommodate small groups of four to six people, creating a forum for each person to have the chance to voice their thoughts and share ideas more organically than in a larger setting. Once each group had ample time to discuss the question, the floor was opened and attendees were given the opportunity to share with the entire room before the next question was presented.

The first question was a two-part question: “What role does social media play in the apparent increase of hate crimes and hate speech that we are seeing? Does it encourage hate or just capture hate that is already there?”

Groups were also asked “Where do you think deep rooted feelings that lead to the “72 hours of hate” and other such incidents come from?” and “What are some ways we can combat hate here on campus and by extension in our communities?”

Hate crimes stemming from fears was a recurring topic when the room was brought back together after posed questions.

The CEC plans to hold more Tackling Tough Topics Together events in the spring, along with their “Convo with…” which presents an opportunity for informal conversations with different members of the Lehigh community. The group’s last conversation event was “Convo with a Cop” in November featuring Lehigh’s Police Department.

Library Coordinator Kathleen Dugan, who facilitated “The Hate You See,” said the events are intended to help adjust perceptions and find common ground.

The CEC also plans on starting Tackling Tough Topics TOGO in the spring, taking the conversation to offices, organizations and groups around campus.