On Tuesday, October 29, state and federal agency representatives were invited to Stockton University to speak at a panel discussing hate crimes, bias, discrimination, free speech, and how they are interconnected. Student Development hosted this community conversation in order to bring awareness to hate crimes and bias crimes that are happening across the nation, what to do when encountering one, and how to report it.

The representatives — Investigator Joseph Alves for Division of Criminal Justice Bias Crime Unit, Deputy Attorney General Amy Sieminski for Division of Criminal Justice, Team Attorney Charles Skriner for U.S Department of Education, and Deputy Director of Community Programming, Patricia Williamson — all discussed the importance of their career and why it matters. 

Bias Incidents are unlawful acts against a person based on race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, and gender identity or gender expression. These are despicable acts that happen every day, and not all of them get reported. The four leaders that attended the panel in the Townsend Residential Life Center’s Multipurpose Room shared their efforts to prevent these heinous acts. Each of them play a different role: Alves and Sieminski help victims of bias crimes and bias incidents get counseling. They also decide how to assist investigations that are reported to handle them accordingly, whereas Williamson does civil investigations on the systemic level. The mission of the division on civil rights is to work towards eliminating bias, prejudice, and discrimination that happens in New Jersey.  The Office for Civil Rights in Education, which Skriner is a part of, removes any federal fundings from schools that break the law of protection against discrimination. 

These panelists were also asked questions on their job. This allowed them to give direct advice to students on what to do if a bias crime or hate crime is committed to them, or what to do if you witness it happen to another individual. Alvez says, “How do we get those crimes? Reporting.” Williamson added that “you as a person can change the environment around you” and he is “a strong advocate for advocacy.” Each leader encouraged reporting these incidents, but also stressed spreading the word about what is happening and how to do something. As Sieminski noted, “Discrimination limits people to have full access to their education.” This is still only a piece of what discrimination can do- which is why something can be done and why each one of us must do. 

Resources on bias crimes can be found by visiting the following websites: NJOAG.gov/BIAS and nohatenj.gov. The Bias Crime Hotline is also available to call at 1-800-277-BIAS (2427).