The goal is not just to help prevent hate crimes, but to help in the enabling of children to flourish in a diverse society. The best way to do that is to begin talking to children about diversity when they are very young. In doing so we help them begin a dialogue about these exciting, complex, and sometimes painful topics. Because it is sometimes hard, when faced with difficult questions, to answer them in ways that children understand, we are including in this Website questions asked by parents and teachers around the country. There is no right way to talk to a child about diversity, or about hate crimes, but we hope that these questions and suggested answers will serve as effective guidelines.
Hate crimes are the most extreme expression of bigotry and prejudice.
Ranging from vandalism to murder, hate crimes are different from other crimes because they are motivated not by greed or by rage at a particular person, but by hatred against an entire population of people bound together only by their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or ability. Some hate crimes are committed by adult hate mongers or members of extremist groups. But many are committed by young people acting out of ignorance, thoughtlessness, or peer pressure rather than hard core hatred. That's why it's important to educate children at an early age to appreciate the similarities and differences among people. There's no reason to go out of your way to introduce young children to the concept of hate.