The Residential Life program at Sonoma State University is working to implement the "Hate Stops Here!" campaign developed by the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights. The campaign is designed to build hate-free communities in Sonoma County. It aims to teach community members how to detect hateful behavior and stop it before it reaches a violent level.
As part of the Collaborative effort between the Residential Life program and the Human Rights Commission, forty-five Sonoma State students and staff members were trained to present hate crime information to campus residents. Sonoma State students furthered the program goals by developing "Daring to Reach Equality Among Many" (DREAM), a club working to promote hate-free communities. "The Commission on Human Rights is very excited to have SSU and the Residential Community on board. They believe it is a first for residential communities to take this neighborhood approach," said the Associate Director of Residential Life, Cynidie Morozumi.
Students involved with DREAM facilitate workshops that educate residents about hate crimes, reporting procedures, and prevention. Each workshop participant can sign a pledge to be "hate-free" and receive a button that says, "Hate Stops Here!" If all members of an on-campus apartment or suite attend a presentation, they receive a bright red "Hate Stops Here!" decal to place in their window. The goal is to visibly create a safe space for students, and show that hate is unacceptable in the SSU residential community.
According to Residential Life Coordinator, Correy Seemiller, the key to the program is prevention, "We at SSU should not have to wait until a senseless violent act takes place to deal with this issue. Stereotyping and prejudice occur all around us. This campaign was created to educate people before an incident occurs and let them know that it is not okay where we live and work to make comments, jokes, or participate in inappropriate behavior that makes others feel threatened, marginalized, or unwelcome."
For more information about the "Hate Stops Here!" campaign at Sonoma State University, contact Residential Life Coordinator Corey Seemiller at (707) 664-3711.
