Liz: the Facebook page isn't allow new 'fan' sign-ins - this is a really important community venture and I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't want to miss it! please advise - Patricia Haines --- On Fri, 12/11/09, Elizabeth Karabinakis <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Elizabeth Karabinakis <[email protected]> Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Unite Against Hate To: [email protected] Date: Friday, December 11, 2009, 1:08 PM 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. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
