14 Mar Students Take a Stand: Young People Are Tackling Hate in Their Schools

Rachel Hunkler of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit called students “one of the key factors in keeping our communities safe” at a Feb. 25 UP End Hate webinar. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

When students notice warning signs of hate or violence, their voices can make all the difference in preventing dangerous outcomes. 

Youth from across the nation gathered Feb. 25 for the virtual launch of the UP End Hate webinar series, a four-part campaign designed to address hate and discrimination in schools. The initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, seeks to empower students to take proactive steps in preventing hate.

Rachel Hunkler of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, the leading organization behind the UP End Hate initiative, said at the webinar that research from the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center shows that speaking up is very effective at stopping hate.

Indeed, a 2023 NTAC report said that 82% of “averted school attacks” that had been studied in prior research were stopped because someone took action and reported their concerns. And in 2021, the NTAC reported that 94% of people planning to attack a school communicated that intent.

“[Attacks] are, in large part, preventable when people in the community notice signs that something is going wrong and speak up and do something about it,” Hunkler said.  

And students are stepping up to lead that charge. 

“[Students are] one of the key factors in keeping our communities safe,” she said. 

During the discussion, students shared their personal experiences with hate, highlighting how different communities — especially English language learners, the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrants — have become targets.

“There’s a lot of targeted hate in my community just as much as other communities around campus,” Diana Diaz, a student at Louisiana State University, said. “I think now more than ever is the time we should do groups like this to come together and talk about it more.” 

But hate isn’t always obvious, panelist Sabrina Huynh, a student at Loyola University New Orleans, pointed out. 

“It’s often woven into the language that we use and the biases that we overlook,” Huynh said. “This perpetuates that narrative and it fuels that discrimination in those communities.” 

The youth panelists also stressed the importance of adults taking their concerns seriously. 

“They are in a position where people are looking up to them,” Emma Bonney, a student at The Catholic University of America, said. “They have the power, they have the authority to kind of shape the way things go, especially when it has to do with hateful things.” 

At the same time, youth can take the lead by finding adult mentors who will support their efforts. 

“Just basically solidarity,” she said. 

When standing up to hate, however, safety should always come first. The UP End Hate webpage recommends simply walking away if confronted by racist comments, choosing not to engage.

“Always being safe while standing up to hate is really important,” Hunkler said.