Although unity has become a common thread among Americans since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, white supremacist groups in Michigan and other Midwestern states are using the incident to recruit new members, a recent study found.
The Center for New Community, a faith-based organization in Chicago, released a report, “State of Hate: White Nationalism in the Midwest 2000-2001.”
In the study, the group found 338 white nationalist groups in 10 Midwestern states, including Michigan. And in the last year, 33 percent of these groups were actively recruiting young people, up from 10 percent during the last study in 1999.
Devin Burghart, director of the center’s Building Democracy Initiative, said the organization researches and monitors hate crimes and works with communities to resolve and prevent such incidents.
Burghart said by learning about the effects of hate, people can deal with the severity of white supremacy.
“With education, you can provide the tools and skills to better interpret what is happening,” he said. “We want to lift that veil of denial that people have that it only happens in the deep South and northern Idaho.”
But Thomas Robb, national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Harrison, Ark., said the message of white supremacist groups is often misunderstood.
“Why is it that because people love their race they are called a hate group?” he said. “A black man can have black pride and heritage but he isn’t called a hater. Why are white people called haters?”
Although Robb said he was surprised at the increase in number of white supremacy groups, he has noticed an increase in recruitment for the KKK in the past two years.
“A lot of people are just becoming upset with the changing face of America,” he said. “I think there is a great interest among the issues we are concerned with, and we see growth in that area. I think we need a tight clamp on our immigration policies.”
Justin Maffa, a research analyst for the center who helped compile the study, said he found the results to be both interesting and troubling.
“Bigots are getting older and older, and new people need to continue it on,” he said.
He said the increase in young people joining these organizations can be attributed to feelings of uncertainty.
“A lot of it has to do with looking for easy answers about race and identity, and a preset way to view the entire world and an offer to be your friend,” he said. “It’s a ready-made package.”
Fareeha Shuttari, a medical technology sophomore, said the results of the study are unsettling because white supremacist groups are attempting to disassociate themselves from other races instead of uniting.
“You can’t fight hate with hate,” the Muslim Students’ Association secretary said. “There is only one race - the human race.”
But Shuttari said what surprised her most was the level of tolerance she thought her generation has toward those who are different.
“I still see us as more exposed and open-minded than the rest of the world,” she said. “If people are really looking for a group to join for support, join a group that promotes love instead of hate.”
