Dear Faith Community Leader:

Last year, in the aftermath of the murders of James Byrd and Matthew Shepard, I wrote to you asking that you speak out against crimes of hate during the celebration of your community's sacred season. Sadly, events across our land this past year once again have called us to speak out against hate crimes. Last Fourth of July weekend -- on the very holiday when Americans should come together to celebrate our freedoms -- we saw people targeted because they were Asian, because they were African American, and because they were Jewish.

It is too easy for us to say that these acts were the work of only one or two individuals and not a reflection of our nation as a whole. An FBI report on hate crimes tells us that there were almost 10,000 victims of such crimes in 1998 -- and those were only the hate crimes that were reported. Of the total number reported, 5,514 were based on race, 1,710 on religion, and 1,488 on sexual orientation. These disturbing statistics tell us that, while only the most heinous hate crimes make the news, hate crimes occur in America every day. And statistics tell only part of the story. They do not tell what happens to an individual, a family, a community, or our nation when such crimes occur.

Jesus called Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Torah says that anyone who turns aside a stranger acts as if he turns aside the most high God. The Koran tells us never to do unto others what we would not wish done to ourselves. But despite those exhortations, we still fail to love our neighbors as ourselves; worse, some even use religion as a basis for hatred.

As President, I have spoken about my dream of One America. I have also proposed legislation that would strengthen existing federal hate crimes law by doing two things: expanding the Department of Justice's jurisdiction to prosecute defendants for violent crimes based on race, color, religion, or national origin; and authorizing the DOJ to prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes against others because of the victim's sexual orientation, gender, or disability. It is my hope that Congress will pass such legislation this year.

It is also my hope that you will join me in speaking out forcefully to build a society where hate is eradicated and where people of faith are leaders in making our dream of One America a reality.

Sincerely,

/s/ Bill Clinton

Meeting with Clinton Main Page 

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100