International Day of Non-Violence | 10 Ways to Fight Hate: Create an Alternative

Spotlight English

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.

Voice 2

And I’m Katy Blake. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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Voice 1

A big group can send a big message. But sometimes that message is not a good one. Instead, it is a message of hate. Sometimes people will gather together against others they think are different. They form hate groups. These hate groups sometimes organize crowds of people. They send out information about their gathering, or rally. They meet at a particular time and place. They may bring signs to carry. These signs tell the message of the hate group. Often, these signs insult another particular group of people.

Voice 2

Sometimes these rallies become dangerous. People may come to protest the rally. People in the rally and people protesting the rally may begin to fight. Riots may start. Police may try to keep the peace. They arrest people who are fighting. Often, people fighting suffer injuries. News of the hate rally violence spreads. In the end, more people know about the hate rally.

Voice 1

But people do want to protest hate rallies. So, how can a person show that he disagrees with hate, or a hate rally? How can a person lead a protest to a hate rally without inciting violence?

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Today’s Spotlight program is the sixth in a series of ten programs. In this series of programs we will look at ten ways to fight hate and hate crimes.

Voice 1

Hate is a very damaging feeling. It damages the person hating. And it damages the person who is being hated. The Southern Poverty Law Center has made this list of ten ways to fight hate in your community. On today’s Spotlight program we will look at the sixth way to fight hate: Create an Alternative.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Voice 2

People faced with hate rallies may feel helpless against such a large hate-filled group. They may feel anger. People may want to show their anger by physically hurting the hate group or causing trouble for them. People protesting hate may want to shout or throw something at the hate group.

Voice 1

But violent protests like this do not usually change anything. In fact, protesting a hate group like this can cause more trouble and hate in a community. And violent protests force police to protect everyone at a rally – even the hate group.

Voice 2

The Southern Poverty Law Center has a different idea about what people can do when they are faced with a hate rally. They say that “Every act of hatred should be met with an act of love and unity.” That is, people can create a sort of balance. When someone does an act of hate, another person can fight it with an act of love.

Voice 1

You can do this when you are faced with a hate rally. This is creating an alternative. An alternative is a different thing to choose. For example, one thing you could do is to attend a hate rally to protest it. Or you could choose an alternative. You could choose to protest the hate rally in a different way.

Voice 2

So, what could you do as an alternative? Well, the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests holding another event. This other event should be in a different place, but at the same time as the hate rally. You could host, or lead, a picnic, a parade, or a celebration of diversity. Celebrate every kind of culture represented in your community. Include as many different cultures in your celebration as you can. Celebrate the different religions in your community. Include food, music, dancing, and information about the many different kinds of people near you.

Photo by Kalle Lundin on Unsplash

Voice 1

This will offer other people an alternative too. They can attend your event instead of the hate rally. This will also take away attention from the hate group. And it will help people value each other and all our differences. One town in Maine, in the United States, experienced this kind of alternative. Here is the story.

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In 2001, Many Somali immigrants came to the town of Lewiston, in the state of Maine. They wanted to improve their quality of life. They did not just want lower cost housing. They wanted good schools. They wanted a smaller community where they could work and raise their children.

Voice 1

In 2002, a local government official, the mayor of Lewiston, sent the Somali community a letter. He asked them to stop inviting more family to live in Lewiston. He told the group that the town of Lewiston could not deal with any more Somalis. He said that many new immigrants cost a lot of money. Somali community members were shocked at the mayor’s letter. Some of them insulted the mayor. Some Somalis wrote back that they were helping the community, not hurting it.

Voice 2

A hate group also read the mayor’s letter. They saw a chance to spread their message. They planned a hate rally in January 2003. They hoped that people would join their rally against the Somalis.

Voice 1

People in the community reacted to the plan for the hate rally. They planned an alternative event. The group planning the new event called themselves the “Many and One Coalition”. They invited local churches, students, and many concerned people to join the event. They used the event to teach people about diversity, or differences in people.

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They hoped their event would send a message against hate. They believed that their message against hate would be stronger than the hate group’s message.

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They were right! More than 4,000 people attended the Many and One Coalition’s diversity event. And fewer than 100 people attended the hate rally.

Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash

Voice 2

Love is stronger than hate. When people act in love, they can make a community stronger. They can stop hate – together.

Voice 1

This is the sixth program in a series of 10 programs on 10 ways to fight hate. This list is from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center is a group that works toward racial justice. They monitor hate crimes, teach tolerance, and seek justice. Here are their 10 ways to fight hate.

Act, Join Forces, Support the Victims, Speak Up, Educate Yourself, Create an Alternative, Pressure Leaders, Stay Engaged, Teach Acceptance, and Dig Deeper.

Voice 2

Keep listening to Spotlight to hear the complete series. You can also find this series as a playlist of Advanced programs. You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at [e-mail]. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Voice 1

The writers of this program were Liz Waid and Amelia Berglund. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.spotlightenglish.com. This program is called “Ten Ways to Fight Hate: Create an Alternative.”

Voice 2

Visit our website to download our free official App for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

Question:

What is one thing you love about your community? How can you celebrate that thing?

WATCH:

See the Other Programs in this Series:

https://spotlightenglish.com/category/society/10-ways-to-fight-hate-series/

The Full Series on YouTube:

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