Stand up to Bigotry

Bigotry happens so often we simply accept it as part of life. Left unchecked, it blights the landscape.

Copied from this article in SPEAK UP!:

"Your brother routinely makes anti-Semitic comments. Your neighbor uses the N- word in casual conversation. Your co-worker ribs you about your Italian surname, asking if you’re in the mafia. Your classmate insults something by saying, 'That’s so gay.'

"And you stand there, in silence, thinking, 'What can I say in response to that?' Or you laugh along, uncomfortably. Or, frustrated or angry, you walk away without saying anything, thinking later, 'I should have said something.' "No agency or organization counts or tracks these moments. They don’t qualify as hate crimes, and they rarely make news. That’s part of their insidious nature; they happen so often we simply accept them as part of life. Left unchecked, like litter or weeds, they blight the landscape.

"In the making of this book, the Southern Poverty Law Center gathered hundreds of stories of everyday bigotry from people across the United States. They told their stories through email, personal interviews and at roundtable discussions in four cities: Baltimore, Md.; Columbia, S.C.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Vancouver, Wash.

"People spoke about encounters in stores and restaurants, on streets and in schools. They spoke about family, friends, classmates and co-workers. They told us what they did or didn’t say — and what they wished they did or didn’t say."