Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Marina Santee.
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And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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In January 2006 a city in South Africa was preparing to elect a local government official. Each candidate created advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and on television and radio. The advertisements told about the opinions of the candidates. One advertisement, however, created a strong reaction from the community.
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The advertisement appeared in a local newspaper. It was in the form of a letter to the home-owners in an Indian community. The letter said that black Africans should not be permitted to build new houses in this area. The letter claimed that murder and rape would increase in the community if black Africans lived there too. Amichand Rajbansi was one of the candidates in the election. His name was at the bottom of the letter.
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The opposing candidate, Obed Mlaba, was shocked by the letter. He spoke openly against it. Mr. Mlaba told his concerns to the South African Human Rights Commission. They investigated the letter. Mr. Rajbansi denied writing the letter. He blamed a member of his political party for the racist ideas. But the South African Human Rights Commission advised Mr. Rajbansi to take responsibility for the letter. They advised him to apologize completely - and in public.
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Mr. Mlaba and the Human Rights Commission knew that leaders have a very important part in the fight against hate in a community. They have power and influence over many kinds of people. Leaders must talk honestly and openly about racism. They must also ACT against hate.
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight program is the seventh in a series of ten programs. In this series of programs we are looking at ten ways to fight hate.
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Hate is powerful enough to damage people and communities. So Tolerance.org has made this list of ten ways to fight hate in your community. On today's Spotlight program we will look at the seventh way to fight hate in your community: Lobby Leaders.
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Good and effective leaders can do much to fight hate in a community. In fact, Tolerance.org says that "the fight against hate needs community leaders willing to take an active role." Community leaders must ACT. They must use their authority to fight against hate. They must be examples for people to follow.
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Sometimes it is difficult for leaders to act against hate. A leader may fear losing support. A leader may fear losing his job. Or, a leader may not have a close relationship with the people she leads. That is why Tolerance.org encourages people to lobby leaders. That is, people can come together. They can influence and educate their leaders. Leaders can then lead a community to helpful change.
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So, how can you influence your leaders toward change? How can you encourage them to lead a fight against hate? How can you lobby your leaders?
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First, Tolerance.org says to form relationships with your community leaders. Leaders and communities who are close can communicate their needs better.
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Second, you can educate your community leaders about hate. Help them understand the causes and effects of hate. Leaders may not understand that hate affects every member of a community. Hate is a serious community problem. When leaders know the facts about hate, they want to stop it quickly.
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Third, Tolerance.org says to demand that police react to a hate based incident or a hate crime quickly and seriously. It is important that police completely investigate hate based crimes. Local media like newspapers, radio and television often report on crimes in an area. The media can show people the effects of hate. The media can encourage communities to accept other people no matter who they are or what they believe.
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Fourth, expect leaders to speak against hate based incidents strongly and publicly when they do happen. Leaders represent large groups of people. When a leader speaks against hate, she influences her listeners. She also influences her listeners when she speaks for tolerance and acceptance. Tolerance means accepting people no matter who they are or what they believe. It means respecting every person equally. If a leader does not speak against hate she is still sending a message. She sends a message that the community accepts hate.
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Fifth, leaders must clearly name the problem. Sometimes it is difficult to speak clearly and openly about hate. Leaders may try to avoid using the word "hate." Or, they may try to forget about the problem. But forgetting about the problem of hate makes victims of hate crimes feel unsupported. A community without honesty becomes divided. It suffers. And it lets hate continue.
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Finally, ask, or lobby, your leaders to ACT. Leaders in a community must be involved in the fight against hate. Ask leaders to be involved by speaking at peace events. Ask them to attend community meetings. Ask them to be involved in long-term ways to solve the problem of hate. Leaders who fight against hate have stronger communities. Victims in their communities feel supported. Whole communities feel safer. And they know how to react to future hate based incidents.
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These are all good ways to influence your leaders to encourage tolerance. But what happens when a leader makes a racist comment? What happens when elected officials, police, or community leaders encourage hate instead of tolerance?
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Tolerance.org believes that community members have power to encourage, or lobby, leaders here too. Tolerance.org encourages community members to put pressure on hate-filled leaders. They say you can organize a group of people who believe in tolerance. Encourage your group to write letters to the leader. Encourage your group to organize public events. Leaders who encourage hate damage communities. Work to educate and communicate with these kinds of leaders in your community. Help them understand that leaders need to be involved in the fight against hate.
Voice 2
This is the seventh program in a series of ten programs on ten ways to fight hate. This list is from Tolerance.org. Here are Tolerance.org's ten ways to fight hate.
Act, Unite, Support the Victims, Do Your Homework, Create an Alternative, Speak Up, Lobby Leaders, Look Long Range, Teach Tolerance, and Dig Deeper.
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Keep listening to Spotlight to hear the complete series. And be sure to visit Tolerance.org on the internet.
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