Title: Condemning the racist and hate-based attacks on our college campuses and reaffirming our support for inclusion and safety in our institutions of higher learning.
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Condemns the harassment and violence targeted at students because of their racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual background, and affirms Congress's commitment to creating safe learning environments on college campuses.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 86 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 86

 Condemning the racist and hate-based attacks on our college campuses 
      and reaffirming our support for inclusion and safety in our 
                    institutions of higher learning.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2017

Ms. Wilson of Florida (for herself, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Ellison, 
  Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Rush, Ms. Lee, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
 Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. 
   Hastings, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clay, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Veasey, Ms. 
    Jackson Lee, Mr. Payne, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Thompson of 
  Mississippi, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. McEachin, Ms. 
Fudge, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Richmond, Ms. Bass, and Ms. Kelly of 
  Illinois) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the racist and hate-based attacks on our college campuses 
      and reaffirming our support for inclusion and safety in our 
                    institutions of higher learning.

Whereas, on April 30, 2017, a fraternity at Baylor University sponsored a 
        ``Mexican-themed'' party replete with a border wall and offensive 
        Mexican stereotypes;
Whereas, on April 30, 2017, a homophobic slur appeared on a fence near the 
        Central Campus building at Duke University;
Whereas, on May 20, 2017, Lt. Collins was stabbed to death in an unprovoked 
        attack at a bus stop on the campus of the University of Maryland, 
        College Park;
Whereas his attacker, Sean Christopher Urbanski, had an association with an Alt-
        Right White supremacist group named ``Alt Reich: Nation'';
Whereas a noose was hung from a tree on the campus of American University, on 
        the day the student body elected its first African-American president;
Whereas Adolf Hitler themed Valentine's Day cards reading ``my love 4 u burns 
        like 6,000 Jews'' circulated around Central Michigan University campus;
Whereas such incidents are the latest in an escalating rise in hate-motivated 
        activities on college campuses targeting racial and religious 
        minorities, foreign nationals, physically challenged and the LGBT 
        community;
Whereas a rising number of nationalist, racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi and White 
        supremacist organizations have expanded and intensified their outreach 
        strategies to grow their influence and networks on college campuses;
Whereas these strategies include fliers, online organizing, social media 
        campaigns, events with national leaders, and efforts to insert a 
        physical presence on college campuses to attract protest and media 
        coverage;
Whereas these strategies led to the recent deadly chaos in the college town of 
        Charlottesville, responsible for the loss of the young life of Heather 
        Heyer protesting the White supremacist and neo-Nazi rally;
Whereas the moral equivalency and lack or principles in the response from the 
        Administration following the Charlottesville attack could further 
        embolden and legitimize hate-based activities across the Nation;
Whereas we must not allow the freedom of speech protected by the Constitution 
        and upheld by United States Congress to be used as cover for hate-based 
        activities and crimes; and
Whereas the United States House of Representatives must come together and 
        address the pressing issues leading to these heinous actions and tragic 
        losses: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) condemns the increased harassment and violence targeted 
        at students because of their racial, ethnic, religious, and 
        sexual background;
            (2) identifies the elaborate and persistent efforts by 
        extremist organizations to influence and recruit young people 
        and the normalization of hate-based activities through moral 
        equivalencies, political equivocacies and platitudes about free 
        speech;
            (3) recognizes the efforts by staff at institutions of 
        higher learning and law-enforcement personnel to respond to 
        violence, extremism and racism and protect all members of the 
        community from harm and hate; and
            (4) remains actively committed to creating safe, tolerant, 
        and respectful learning environments that fully respect members 
        from all backgrounds on college campuses.
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