10 Things You Can Do to Counter Hate
And Intolerance in Our Community
Jose J. Soto, Vice President for AA/Equity/Diversity
Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE

  1. Teach our youth, through leadership and modeling, to appreciate and embrace cultural, religious, ethnic, and other differences.
  2. Work with others to plan and conduct activities that provide our youth with opportunities to experience the rich diversity that exists in our community.
  3. Work with public school officials, teachers, parent groups, student organizations, and others to ensure that issues of diversity and tolerance are periodically discussed in all-school assemblies.
  4. Set an expectation for yourself, our elected and civic leaders, your faith community leaders, leaders in the business and industry sectors, and leaders in our public education system to address current events that deal with issues race, hate, bigotry or discrimination.
  5. Encourage and participate in an effort to coordinate a day that all clergy in our community will deliver a sermon encouraging that diversity be embraced, supported and promoted in our community.
  6. Be the first to stand up and let others know unequivocally that you stand for equality and fairness for all, and stand against hate, discrimination and exclusion based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or other diversity status.
  7. As a family, attend activities and recognitions sponsored by local groups (e.g., the NAACP, the Urban League, the Women’s Commission) and centers that serve diverse sectors of our community (e.g., Malone Center, Hispanic Center, Asian Center, Indian Center).
  8. Within your immediate sphere of influence and authority, assume some level of responsibility for initiating and improving relationships and interactions across racial, ethnic, cultural, and other differences.
  9. Pledge to yourself that from this moment on you will engage in ways of “thinking, being, and doing” that will enhance your reputation in this community as an agent of tolerance, acceptance, fairness, and justice for all.
  10. Share this communication with others as a way of affirming their support for diversity, or as an opportunity to provide some guidance on how they can contribute to reducing hate and intolerance in our community.