Editor's note: In recent months, national headlines have prompted
new debates over hate and tolerance in America as stories of violence against
homosexuals and blacks have surfaced. In a talk to the Board of Trustees
on Nov. 13, University President Graham B. Spanier spoke out against crimes
of hate. What follows is the text of his talk denouncing these acts of intolerance
and urging the University community to joint others in actively opposing
them.
I want to thank those in the Penn State community who joined Americans across the nation this year in mourning victims of hate crimes. The violent deaths recently of two innocent men received considerable attention. They are but two examples among thousands of incidents. One victim was beaten to death in a lonely, desolate spot in Wyoming, and the other was tied to a vehicle and dragged to his death in Texas. Both men were killed by people who targeted them for harm because of personal characteristics. One man was gay; the other was African American. Such violence is not limited to personal characteristics such as sexual orientation and race. Hate crimes also target people on the basis of religion, ethnicity, gender and disability.
The breadth of hate crimes is the focus of growing concern. Although about 10,000 hate crimes are reflected in federal statistics each year, we don't know how many are not reported. Hate crimes are not a new phenomenon, but rather an ugly and abhorrent part of the human condition, a condition that has characterized too much of the 20th century. History has taught us that violence emanating from hatred is capable of reaching genocidal proportions.
We cannot and must not tolerate discrimination, insensitivity or hatred on our campuses and beyond. We must combat them at every turn. For these reasons, I am enormously proud of those Penn State students, faculty, staff, campus ministers and others who have responded to hate crimes and other acts of intolerance, who speak out against such intolerance, who actively educate others, and who work each day to promote civility and social responsibility.
I commend Penn Staters who express respect and caring for victims and their families, and who speak out against senseless violence. This is a wonderful reflection of Penn State's character and culture and I urge an ever larger circle to join in this important work.