Speaking Out Against Hatred and Intolerance
The past week has been a turbulent one for our nation. Senseless deaths, public expressions of hatred, communities in agony, and, too present, a sense of futility. Just when we think we have come so far, we realize how far we have to go. A few weeks ago, I listened as President Bill Clinton told the attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative America Conference that our country may be more tolerant than ever in its history, but our greatest remaining vice is that we do not like to be around people who do not agree with us. I’m not sure we are more tolerant, but recent events substantiate the tragic consequences of not appreciating and understanding those we may consider “the other.”
On July 2, the world lost one of its great humanitarians, the author and scholar Elie Wiesel. He was known as a chronicler of the Holocaust, himself a survivor who lost most of his family, but he was also a constant voice against indifference and against suffering, oppression, and persecution of any person or group. Having faced perhaps the greatest atrocity in the history of mankind, Wiesel knew that speaking out and taking action were the only acceptable responses to hatred and intolerance.
Undoubtedly, our nation and the world have more tragedies in our future. We must not be overwhelmed by their magnitude, but continue to speak out. As Elie Wiesel taught us: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” For those of us in the human services sector, protest means more than words, but the action of improving lives and invigorating our communities.
Lee Sherman, President & CEO
