In Reno, we too are not immune to hate crimes. When I learned about the attack on the synagogue, I immediately pledged a redoubling of my efforts as a peace and human rights educator. I have taken a more proactive stance in my classrooms. I want to instill peace consciousness in the minds of my students. I want my students to respect people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Diversity is what makes America great.
I want my students to be sensitive, and to speak up when they hear racist, misogynist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic jokes or demeaning remarks. I want my students to learn the art of mediation, so that they may intervene to prevent potentially violent confrontations. Holocaust education is not about the past alone. It's about our common future. To pretend that hate organizations and neo-Nazi groups are just a bunch of crazies, is to accept violence as part of our social and political landscape.