United Against Hate Week 2022
This week, November 13th-19th, is United Against Hate Week. First started in Berkeley in 2017 in response to far-right provocateurs who wanted to impose fear and hatred in our community, United Against Hate has grown into a nationwide movement. Below are highlights of events taking place in Berkeley this week. For a full list of events, click here.
What is United Against Hate Week?
United Against Hate Week is a call for local civic action to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns and cities.
United Against Hate Week emerged from a United Against Hate poster campaign created by Bay Area Cities in response to white supremacist rallies in Berkeley and San Francisco in 2017.
The original 13 communities were convened in 2018 by Not In Our Town, a national anti-hate organization and partner in the LA vs Hate campaign. Together they initiated this annual week of action, education and awareness.
Since its inception, United Against Hate Week has spread to over 200+ communities including all of Los Angeles County, faith-based groups, LGBTQ+ and human rights organizations, and is beginning to take off throughout California and in communities throughout the U.S.
Berkeley Hosts the East Bay Premiere of Repairing the World
Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life is a documentary that highlights the Pittsburgh community’s response to hate after the deadliest antisemetic attack in the country’s history. The 2018 terrorist attack at the Tree of Life synagogue left eleven people dead and six injured, including Holocaust survivors. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion.
The event takes place on Wednesday, November 16 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm) at the UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave. Tickets cost $14.50 and can be purchased here. Questions about the event? Contact Anthony Rodriguez at arodriguez@cityofberkeley.info.
Council Action on United Against Hate Week
At tomorrow’s Council meeting, the City Council will vote on a Resolution commemorating United Against Hate Week 2022. The Resolution highlights the importance of our diversity as a nation of immigrants while acknowledging that hate crimes and toxic rhetoric has been on the rise throughout the country in recent years. It also notes that “education, compassion, and cooperation are key to unlocking understanding and embracing differences between people, with United Against Hate Week an important step in bridging divisions and strengthening our communities.”
The Council meeting takes place Tuesday, November 15 at 6pm via Zoom.
Get Involved
There are multiple ways you can get involved. Here are 20 ideas for individual and group action, including promoting on social media, hosting a community event, and creating banners. If you want to create an event, click here. More resources can be found in these toolkits and guides. Kids (and creative adults) can download a coloring book.
Activities Across the Bay Area
You can find a list of activities taking place throughout all four corners of the Bay Area by visiting the United Against Hate Week website and navigating to Events >> Current Events.
How to Respond to Hate
A Hate Crime is defined as a crime that was the result of a bias, hatred, or prejudice against the victim’s real or perceived race/ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In response to increasing hate crimes nationwide, in 2020 the City Council referred to the City Manager to review proposals to improve systems for reporting and responding to hate incidents and crimes. Updates on these recommendations can be found here.
The best way to report a Hate Crime is to call the Alameda County District Attorney’s Hate Crime Hotline, 510-208-4824. The District Attorney’s Office will refer callers to the appropriate resources and works with the Berkeley Police Department to follow up on these crimes.