Fighting Hate & Bias
Building a safer and more inclusive country by supporting community resilience, providing educational resources on countering bias, advocating for improved hate crime reporting, and demanding collective action.
Acts of hate touch every community and threaten to undermine the most basic tenets of our democracy. And hate crime has been on the rise. Data from 2022 showed that reported hate crimes reached their highest number on record after increasing for four straight years.
But the data understates the experiences of communities impacted directly by hate. Nearly 90 percent of the nation’s law enforcement agencies do not submit hate crimes to the FBI – and we know that there is a historic distrust between many communities and law enforcement, resulting in under-reporting. That means our understanding of the magnitude and nature of the crisis is dangerously limited — even as the crisis worsens.
Everyone deserves to live free from hate, fear, and violence. We cannot free ourselves from hate if we don’t identify and acknowledge it when it happens. What is typically included in ongoing reporting is just as important as what is left out – the voices of individuals who experienced incidents of hate.
Today’s political climate is highly charged. From white supremacist and anti-government movements coalescing and moving more into the political mainstream, to conspiracy theories circulating online, to the amplification of hate by public officials. We refuse to let the loud volume of a few define us.
Get Involved
Together, we have the power to confront the forces of hate, celebrate the dignity of every person, and move our nation toward its highest ideals of fairness and inclusion. Learn more about our campaigns and projects to fight hate and bigotry.
What Is the State of Hate?
Our report, Cause for Concern – The State of Hate 2024 outlines the serious threat of an alarming rise in hate crimes since 2014. Each of the last four presidential election periods have shown an unmistakable pattern: Hate crimes increase during elections. The report, the most recent publication in The Leadership Conference Education Fund’s “Cause for Concern” series first published in 1997, covers this trend.
From the mainstreaming of hate and the failure of social media platforms to adequately address disinformation, the current climate is rife with opportunities for the trend of increased hate to continue into the 2024 election — unless action is taken.
Hate Crimes Task Force
Our task force is comprised of coalition members who have expertise in hate crimes and defending civil and human rights. Together, we developed a comprehensive list of priority legislative initiatives that represent a path forward to ending hate and promoting unified action, reconciliation, and national healing. Our country’s leadership must honor equal protection for all people, view our diversity as a strength, and strive to be a country where all people can safely and freely live, work, and participate in their communities.
Latest News
Maya Wiley of The Leadership Conference: “Springfield, Ohio Is Not The Last Community That Will Be Terrorized Because Social Media Companies Refuse To Take Content Moderation Seriously”
WASHINGTON — Following bomb threats, school closures, and other threats in Springfield, Ohio, which were all prompted by disgraceful lies, Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement:
Contact Us
Learn more about The Education Fund’s initiative, Humanity Over Hate; share a story about your experience with hate; or get involved by contacting Carter Wynne, Program Manager of the Humanity Over Hate Team.