The Rise of Hate Groups In the 21st Century
Over the course of American history oppression has been accompanied with the presence of terrorist and hate groups. The abolition of slavery and integration of American society has morphed the way racism is enacted. Systemic racism has a different face. Within the judicial system systemic racism can be seen trickling down from police brutality to the 13th amendment which ended slavery in the United States. Although the Klu Klux Klan has reduced dramatically in size,new terrorist groups have taken shape.
In the 1900’s hate groups were looked upon as groups of people who were illiterate, oblivious, ignorant, and violent. Today members of hate groups have gelled hair and suits, they present a refined version of hate groups in comparison from what we have seen in the past. Hate groups promote their agendas through sophisticated techniques. With the help of the internet it possible for terrorist groups in Iraq to gain followers in other countries. Recruitment and organizing takes place via the internet which allows the entire world to interact with hate groups.
After the 2016 election the amount of hate groups in the United States is on a rebound. Southern Poverty and Law Center found that there were 784 hate groups in the United States in 2014. In 2015 during the presidential election that number spiked to 892, an increase of 108 groups. In 2016, 25 more hate groups were added to that number. If this trend continues the number of hate groups will be as high or higher than in 2011 when 1,018 groups were present. Within the Bay Area there is a profound population of people here who are part of hate groups such as The KKK, Neo-Nazis, and Anti-Islamic groups.
The influence of the 2016 election has had an effect the way contemporary hate groups operate. With the induction of Donald J. Trump as president Tomi Lahren, Ann Coulter, Milo Yiannopoulos, and David Duke (former Grand Wizard of the K.K.K.) have large platforms to pursue their agendas. In light of the terror in Charlottesville, it has become apparent that there is a lot we don’t understand about others of our age.
