For the third consecutive year, IUP’s Office of Social Equity and Title IX sponsored the attendance of IUP administrators and students at the annual Eradicate Hate Global Summit, held September 15 to 17 in Pittsburgh.
Multicultural and LGBTQIA+ Student Support Director Leslie Coates, Multicultural Student Support graduate assistant Shariah Street, Director of the Center for Civic Dialogue Stephan Schaffrath, Chief Compliance Officer Elise Glenn, Crimson Scholars Circle graduate assistant Gabrielle Harper, Student Inclusion graduate assistant Robinson Waddell, Folger Student Center graduate assistant Nicolas Madrid, and Executive Director of Student Inclusion Roger Briscoe II
Attended by more than 1,600 people of all ages and backgrounds, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit is described as the world’s most comprehensive conference dedicated to preventing all forms of hate‑fueled violence. Eradicate Hate is a nonpartisan nonprofit that believes that everyone has a role to play in preventing hate-fueled violence.
IUP Chief Compliance Officer Elise Glenn coordinated the IUP group that attended, which included Executive Director of Student Inclusion Roger Briscoe II, Multicultural and LGBTQIA+ Student Support Director Leslie Coates, Director of the Center for Civic Dialogue Stephan Schaffrath, and graduate students Nicolas Madrid, Gabrielle Harper, Shariah Street, and Robinson Waddell.
The theme of this year’s summit was Bridging the Gaps, focusing on emphasizing stronger coordination across disciplines and sectors to prevent violence.
“We know more than ever about preventing violence—what we need now are the resources to put that knowledge to work at scale,” President of Eradicate Hate Brette Steele said during the summit. “Funding cuts have weakened organizations across the field just as the threats are becoming more complex. This summit is about making sure that progress does not stall, that we bridge the gaps, and that prevention efforts endure.”
“The speakers were extremely inspiring,” Glenn said. “While their personal stories were often heartbreaking, there was also a focus on sharing evidence of what works, including practical solutions for preventing hate-fueled violence,” she said.
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit was formed as a response to the October 2018 attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, when a gunman murdered 11 Jews and injured others worshiping there. The Eradicate Hate Global Summit held its first conference in fall 2021 and featured almost 100 speakers from around the globe.
The summit’s annual conference is designed to break down silos to bring together the world’s leading anti-hate experts from many disciplines and sectors.
The summit has an ongoing working group structure designed to develop workable solutions; at each annual summit, the working groups present the results of their year-long work and will plot the specific ongoing work for the year to come.
“The Protecting the Protectors Workgroup, in particular, offered important information on how to support professionals working in violence prevention, including resources for police agencies, parents, and educators,” Glenn said.
The Office of Social Equity and Title IX also shared the links for students, faculty, and staff to attend virtually.