Can We Stop Fighting?

I was just reading a newsletter from Southern Poverty Law Center, who are doing some very meaningful justice work to bring oppressed people the rights they deserve and protect them from racism.

They mentioned the summit, United We Stand, where the White House brought together a wide variety of businesses, NGO’s, City leaders, and influencers around “Combatting hate and extremism”. It sounds great right? Erasing all hate and (right wing) extremism! But, as I read, I started to realize there might be something wrong with the approach.

“Combat hate and extremism”.

Combat.

Fight.

Are we really going to bring unity and peace between cultures if we’re in combat?

How can we acknowledge and start to heal the deep trauma within the people who perpetrate hate crimes, dealing with them at the source, if we’re in combat against them? Are they just unredeemable? Should they just disappear?

On one hand, I understand that people feel the need for combat and a warlike mentality against isms/hate. People are being killed and harmed for the color of their skin, their culture, religion, and it’s wrong.

But is a combative stance going to truly solve anything? Or will it just result in attempts to bludgeon and silence the people committing hate crimes? Based on the outcomes of the summit, it seems like the bludgeoning and silencing is taking precedence over understanding, acceptance, and healing.