Enlarge Campus leaders came together for "Stop The Hate" training at UNC Charlotte.

Posted: December 7th, 2009 Tonya Jameson

About a dozen people sat in small groups determining when hate becomes a crime and how to prevent bigotry from escalating into criminal acts.

The attendees participated in Stop the Hate’s Train the Trainer workshop Dec. 3-5 at UNC Charlotte. Shane Windmeyer, founder of Stop the Hate, organized the second annual event for students, residence hall directors and campus leaders from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, Guilford College in Greensboro, UNCC and elsewhere.

Windmeyer hoped participants would leave the workshop with a strategy to share their knowledge with others to fight bias and hate crimes at their schools.

The workshop comes when the country is seeing a rise in certain hate crimes. In late November, FBI data showed crimes based on sexual orientation increased by nearly 11 percent. Hate crimes based on religion increased nearly nine percent.

Windmeyer taught participants to recognize signs of bias, which sometimes leads to hate crimes. He said although using the term “hate crime” draws attention to incidents, overuse of the term downplays the impact of incidents of bias.

Taking signs of bias more serious is important, he said. “Ultimately that will lead us to be preventive when it comes to a criminal act, a hate crime occurring.”

Brian Daniel and Meg Evans of Guilford College know the importance of addressing hateful incidents. In September, Daniel said a rock with inscribed with anti-gay slurs was placed inside a student’s room. The campus rallied together for a forum and vigil. The school administration also took the incident seriously, Daniel and Evans said.

Daniel said they attended the Stop the Hate workshop because they wanted to hold training sessions for faculty, staff and students at Guilford.

Let’s hope their determination will mean one less student will be subjected to a rock inscribed with hurtful words.

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