Join together to fight back against hate

As heads of the ADL and the NAACP in Connecticut, we are disturbed by the growing number of hate crimes and hate incidents in Connecticut and around the country. Swastika vandalism and teens putting on blackface have seemingly come back into fashion among our state’s youth. The history of these symbols and actions is critical for all young people to understand. They are not innocent, they are not funny and their impact can reverberate far beyond our corner of the world.

And outside of school, we’re seeing assaults, arson, graffiti and harassment. And while organizations and our politicians generally are quick to strongly denounce these bad acts, it is not enough to just react. We must get down to work — together — to prevent this behavior from becoming normalized. We must unite and call on our leaders to create a safer and more accepting climate in our state. Fortunately, under the enhanced hate crimes laws that our organizations helped to pass, the Chief States Attorney’s Office can set up a council to address this very issue.

And the time to do that is now. That’s why we are calling on the new Chief State’s Attorney to form this council, and why we are offering our help. While hate is a global issue, the fight against it must start locally. Let’s begin by inviting cities and towns from across Connecticut to send delegations of mayors, school superintendents, police chiefs and clergy to come together and learn how to prevent and respond in the wake of hate.

By engaging experts from the Department of Education, State Police, and Attorney General’s Office in the conversation, we’ll equip a vanguard of town leaders with the tools to fight hate. The time for action is now; please join us.

While hate is a global issue, the fight against it must start locally.

Steve Ginsburg is director of the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League and Scot Esdaile is president of the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP.