SC needs more than noble resolutions and MLK celebrations to stop hate crimes | Opinion
What is it about January that it has become the peace, tolerance and reconciliation month?
President Ronald Reagan declared in 1986 that the third Monday of January would become a federal holiday to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This year, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued a proclamation making January “South Carolina Interfaith Harmony Month,” as Gov. Nikki Haley did before him.
The proclamation states that South Carolina has always been a state that has welcomed the diversity that has made our nation great. It continues to say that “open communication and mutual respect, common dignity and sincere understanding help promote peace and goodwill among all people and among all nations.”
The proclamation goes on to stress how “interfaith harmony, religious liberty and tolerance for diverse traditions and beliefs contributes to our continued strength and prosperity.” Finally, the proclamation encourages all “South Carolinians to work together and foster appreciation for the different faiths, beliefs and cultures found in the Palmetto State.”
Clearly we have a long way to go to fulfill the governor’s proclamation.
The other day, a man wielding a machete entered a rabbi’s house in Monsey, New York, on Hanukkah and attacked the guests.
At the same time, a gunman entered the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, and shot worshipers during the Sunday service. Members of the church’s security team shot and killed him to prevent further carnage.
And this is just one day or two in December!
According to FBI statistics, hate crimes increased in South Carolina from 87 in 2017 to 111 in 2018. Most of the crimes were related to race as well as religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.
Still, South Carolina is one of four remaining states in America that does not have a hate-crimes law.
Isn’t it time for our government do its part to work for the harmony that the governor’s proclamation claims to address?
Clearly, there are many religious institutions and clergy who work together in interfaith partnerships to practice all the noble ideals outlined in the governor’s proclamation. We are walking the walk every day.
Our interfaith community service projects, dialogue groups and worship experiences all contribute to these virtuous goals of creating harmony.
Yet, I am afraid it is not enough — not only in South Carolina, but in America as well.
How about thinking outside the box this time?
Do we need more proclamations?
State partnership
Maybe it’s time for a real partnership on the state level to promote human dignity. It could educate citizens about why tolerance is the linchpin if we truly want harmony and stability in our state.
Why not create an office of human dignity, or at least a task force with religious and community leaders to map out a statewide strategy for addressing the proliferation of hate crimes in our state and fashion a hate crimes bill?
Guns alone will not make us safer, and even increased police protection is not the answer either. Education is always the key and especially in the schools. The harmony we seek starts not only in the pews but spreads to the youth in all facets of our society.
Harmony is important, especially when it comes to individuals seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationship to God and their community. Harmony in relation to self-reflection serves an important role in the life of the spirit. Meditation, prayer, worship and studying sacred scriptures all help us create a tone of holiness that can speak to others as well.
Rock the boat
But what if community leaders and organizations believe that harmony means ignoring the injustices in our society? What if harmony means to them just turning a blind eye to the poor or to people not like us who suffer for no other reason than their skin color or their religion or their gender or their sexual orientation?
Do we have more folks who simply believe that harmony really means quite simply “don’t rock the boat”?
Suppose a partnership between religious and civic leaders and elected officials went beyond the proclamation and actually did something substantive, which just might make a difference in our state?
Such a commission could motivate sectors of our society to do a better job of helping citizens get the message, which is that there is no tolerance to hatred.
In that way, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and South Carolina Interfaith Harmony Month would make January in our state a month that stands out in the hearts and minds of all our citizens. What’s the downside?