FROM THE EDITOR—UPDATE ON HATE CRIME

He was 16 years old, a short youth at 5 foot 3 inches, guilty of no offense except his membership in a minority group. Jordan Gruver, although of Panamanian Indian descent, was presumed to be an illegal Hispanic immigrant because of his skin color. Last summer, while he was enjoying a fair in Kentucky, two members of the Ku Klux Klan savagely beat, kicked, and spit on him. The beating was so severe that he sustained multiple fractures, including his jaw, ribs, and one arm. I learned about him from an article in “USA Today” ([Parker, 2007]). He was another victim of another vicious hate crime. Another piece of evidence that groups such as the Ku Klux Klan remain active—although they seem to be targeting Hispanic immigrants now, rather than African Americans, Jews, Catholics, or gays.

Because of the diligent monitoring of hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center, we know that there are 165 active Ku Klux Klan groups in the United States, as well as neo-Nazi and racist skinhead groups—and dozens of others, with names like Neo-Confederates and White Nationalists (see www.tolerance.org). Some hate groups have misleading names, such as Christian Identity (which asserts that Jews were spawned by Satan and non-whites have no souls). In total, there are 844 active hate groups, often choosing egregious violence to advance their agenda.

When reading of an abhorrent crime such as that perpetrated on young Jordan Gruver, I always wonder what action I could take (other than contributing money to the work of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which I already do). Perhaps you wonder, too. Here are some ideas from the Center:

• Speak up when you hear racial slurs

• Cross social boundaries to interact with people who are different from you

• Encourage local police to label hate crimes as such

• Complain to media when they reinforce stereotypes

• Look inside yourself for hidden biases (take a test at www.hiddenbias.org)

Can the actions of one individual really make a difference? I have to believe that they can. That is one of the reasons I became a psychiatric nurse. Join me in an effort to promote greater tolerance for all of the inhabitants of this planet.