Are you struggling with how to process the hate and violence committed in Charlottesville this past weekend? One step you can take is to better understand the history and ideology of the groups involved. American Swastika: Inside the white power movement’s hidden spaces of hate, by criminology professor Pete Simi and sociology professor Robert Futrell, draws on a decade of research and interviews to reveal how white power groups recruit,organize, and perpetuate their ideology. You can follow this up with a short interview on NPR with ex-FBI agent, Michael German, who explains how although the group names have changed since the 1990s, the underlying ideologies and tactics are the same. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has also just published a guide for students to understand and counter the alt-right on campuses. And finally, if you want to take a stand against hate in your own community, the SPLC has an excellent guide for recognizing and responding to every day bigotry. If you’d like more recommendations, just ask a librarian.
