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Community Service:
Using Scenarios to Battle Hate-Crimes

Background
In July of 1999, the Midwest was rocked by a series of racially-motivated incidents that left three people dead and entire communities in shock. Among those killed was Won-Joon Yoon, a graduate student at the Indiana University, who was shot twice in the back as he was entering his church. His assailant was another student, known widely for his white-supremacist beliefs.

Along with the outpouring of grief which followed the murder came serious questions: "How could this happen here? How do we make sure it never happens again?"

WisdomTools developed a Scenario based on the incident designed to help community members deal with their confusion and, hopefully, learn how to recognize and defuse racism in the future.

The Scenario Learners follow the four main characters and other community members from the initial leafleting through the murder of Won-Joon Yoon, and the process of how our community responded to this hate crime.

The Scenario provides an opportunity for members of the community and others to learn about what happened, and to gain perspective from a diversity of thoughts and opinions. Where is the line between hate speech and free speech? As an activist, what could one do to get someone involved in the community? How does one battle complacency? How does one deal with racism, sexism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism? What could be done in our community to help children cope with discrimination?

Learners are encouraged to:

• Identify what the community did to respond to an acute incident of hatred.


• Analyze how the community responded to the incident and what it might have done better.


• Expose and assess underlying discrimination and endemic bigotry.


• Create the potential for an environment that makes it easier to work together to respond to both acute and chronic forms of racism, intolerance, incivility, and hatred.

Intended Audience
This Scenario is meant for community members and organizations, such as high school civics classes, City Council members, human rights commissions, civic organizations, business organizations, and grass roots community organizations.

For more information on this Scenario, contact media@wisdomtools.com .

© 1999-2008 WisdomTools, Inc.

Download more information about the "Community Response to Hate Crimes" Scenario here.

Register to participate in the Community Response to Hate Scenario here.