Mission Update
United Methodist Women members are leaders in a nationwide project to track hate crimes. They clip articles on and keep records of radio and TV coverage of hate crimes then send them to the Women's Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. The data is then shared with the Center for Democratic Renewal, which has been tracking hate crimes for more than 20 years.
United Methodist Women’s efforts are contributing to a comprehensive record of hate crimes not available elsewhere. Binders of articles fill the Women’s Division office on racial justice. A sampling of 611 articles shows the importance of this tracking project. Of 611 articles:
States that do not have hate-crime laws or have only limited laws include Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming.
The U.S. Justice Department defines hate crimes as "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder; non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; aggravated assault; simple assault; intimidation; arson; and destruction, damage or vandalism of property."
To track hate crimes, send clippings or information on radio and TV reports with the newspaper or station name and publication or broadcast date to: Hate Crimes Clipping Project, Women's Division, 475 Riverside Drive, #1502, New York, NY 10115.
To learn about hate crimes in your state and what you can do to combat hate, go to http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/anti-hate/ .
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