The community-based organization teaches the Know your Rights curriculum and encourages community members to report hate crimes.
This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
By Blake Carter
The Brotherhood Crusade has partnered with LA Vs. Hate to teach children in their mentorship programs and also community members at community-based events the Know your Rights curriculum and to help victims of hate crimes make it through the emotional experience.
“Folks don’t always associate hate crimes with health,” said Stacy Hill-Williams, executive vice president of the Brotherhood Crusade. “Injuries are not just physical. They’re also emotional. Victims of hate violence can suffer from more distress following the attack than during the attack. Survivors of hate crimes are more likely to develop anxiety, post traumatic stress order, and are more likely to have feelings of fear, anger, or hopelessness if they don’t get the help that they need.”
In the Brotherhood Crusade young men’s empowerment camps and their young women’s empowerment camps, they have segments to talk about knowing your rights and the importance of reporting hate crimes. They also give people advice on what to do when they are victims of a hate crime.
“We tell people to get medial help first and foremost if necessary,” Hill-Williams said. “Write down the details of the crime directly after the incident. Details of the perpetrator. What was said and what was done. Were any pictures taken? File a report. And notify local organizations like the Brotherhood Crusade because we may have affiliations who may also assist you with finding support for yourself, family, or friends; how to reach out for professional help and how to reach victim’s services.”
The report of 2023 hate crimes in California shows that with hate crimes that are based on race, Black people are the victims in over half of those crimes. The California Hate Crime report came out about a month after the California anti-hate hotline report was released, and that report had similar findings. Anti-Black bias was by far the most cited reason for reports related to race. The most common reason why people called the anti-hate hotline was for discriminatory treatment, with most of the incidents happening at or near a person’s home, followed by the workplace and public facilities.
“Hate is not alright,” said Makala Travis, who is a member of the Brotherhood Crusade mentorship program. “In a community full of minorities, no matter how different we seem, we are all together. As a Black woman in central Los Angeles, I’ve experienced hate in numerous ways. From people who look like me from people who don’t look like me, from people that I’ve never met before, and from people that I might see every single day. No matter what, every single time it still hurts the way that it did before.”
For more information about the Brotherhood Crusade, visit www.brotherhoodcrusade.org
