Dear sustainability comrades,
As some of you may already know, our community's beloved Greater Ithaca
Activities Center has been receiving deplorable hate messages since
January, each escalating with intensity. The last one left in October
said that the GIAC staff and those who participate in GIAC programs are
“monkey faced niggers and filthy apes.” For more info, go to:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912020394
A truly sustainable community is one that fosters respect for one
another. We can not tolerate the rampant intimidation, oppression,
racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination that
continue to plague our community. The Board Members of GIAC and alumni
of the Multicultural Resource Center's Talking Circles on Race and
Racism are calling on our community to help mobilize a broad base of
citizens to unite against hate.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that the struggle against hate was
made even more difficult by the inaction of others who refused to get
involved. He said that the “ultimate tragedy… was not the brutality of
the bad people, but the silence of the good people.”
Please consider joining the United Against Hate campaign (info below).
In solidarity,
Liz
***About the United Against Hate Campaign***
When acts of racist hatred erupt into the consciousness of a community,
people of good will often feel angry and frustrated, wondering what they
can do to oppose it. Ithaca has faced its share of these situations,
most recently with racist hate messages being left on the answering
machine at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC). Incidents like
this happen in a quieter way more often than many people may realize.
The “United Against Hate” Campaign was started as a way for citizens to
stand up and be counted in opposition to racist hate-speech and
behavior. It was inspired by the events in Billings, Montana in 1994
when the KKK and other white supremacists became more active in the
town. Acts of vandalism were carried out against synagogues and Jewish
cemeteries. When a brick was thrown through a Jewish child’s window
which displayed a menorah at Hanukah time, the entire community rallied.
A paper menorah was printed in the newspaper and people of all faiths
cut them out and displayed them as a symbol of solidarity and a stand
against hate.
The current project distributes paper signs to display in car and home
windows and buttons to wear bearing the message, “United Against Hate.”
This is a way for individuals to show their opposition to the small but
loud minority of those who use hate speech to try to intimidate and
instill fear.
Through this action, the overwhelming majority of us who want to live in
a world of respect and understanding can become more visible and show
the strength of our numbers and our commitment. Racist hate speech and
behavior are not acceptable. By the simple act of becoming visible, we
can demonstrate that when we stand together against hate, it loses the
power to terrorize.
***How to participate in the United Against Hate campaign***
Print the poster & post in visible places (house/apt windows, car
windows, storefronts, etc.). A link to the poster is embedded in the
Ithaca Journal article:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912100383
Facebook Group "United Against Hate." If you are on FB, you can join by
going to the page and requesting to become a member.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=230091163153&ref=ts
Want a button? They're being made so look for them soon.
Cling decals might also be produced.
_______________________________________________
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