by Susan P. Curnan, Lisa A. LaCava, Katie Lee Crane

Last January, three youth were accused of hate crimes in a small town in Massachusetts. The incident brought out fears, bias, courage, support, and the challenge of balancing justice and compassion. The article that follows describes the pain and difficulty of the event, and, in the end, how young people and adults came together to create a safe, just, and healthy community.1

Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home-so close and so small, they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood s/he lives in, the school or college s/he attends; the factory, farm, office where s/he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Until recently the big story about youth leadership in Sudbury, Massachusetts, was that of a 12 year old-a girl made famous by her articulate testimony at a Town Meeting about why the town should allow ice cream trucks in her neighborhood despite the concerns of adult citizens about children's safety and noise pollution. Skeptics said it was an easy case. Come on. Who could resist the plea from a kid for an ice cream cone? She was quoted on National Public Radio and all the local papers and news stations. The public was amazed at the leadership and determination of this young person. She won.

The next time youth made the news beyond the boundaries of Sudbury it was not so nice, not so easy. Three local youth were accused of hate crimes. For us it is a story that is both personal and professional. It happened in our hometown, in our very own congregation-"the place where human rights begin." Despite the pain and difficulty of the event, in the end it is a strong example of CYD principles in action-a story about the journey toward becoming a safe, just, and compassionate community, where young people are valued and engaged in full and healthy ways. The journey is not without its struggles. The actions that followed the hate crimes forced community members, lulled by an affluent community's laissez faire, nothing-bad-ever-happens-here sensibility, to ask difficult questions of themselves, their fellow citizens, and civic and public organizations. What does one do in the face of a hate crime? What would you do?

What follows is the story of recent events in Sudbury, the historic home for one of the oldest congregations in the United States-First Parish of Sudbury (Unitarian Universalist), gathered in 1640.

The Journey
On the anniversary of the day 56 years ago that Auschwitz-Birkenau was finally liberated, a person or persons painted swastikas on the rainbow symbols at First Parish. A passerby noticed the defaced signs and called the police. Several First Parish volunteers attempted to remove the offensive symbols on Saturday evening. But by Sunday morning, the signs had been defaced again and the rainbow flag that flies at the parking lot entrance to the Meetinghouse was missing.

Originally commissioned in San Francisco in 1978, the rainbow flag is a symbol of pride and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people. For many groups it is a symbol of diversity. First Parish of Sudbury intentionally flies the rainbow flag and displays the symbol as a public statement that the congregation embraces diversity and welcomes all who respect its principles and goals. It also represents the congregation's intentional commitment to encourage the presence and participation of GLBT people in all aspects of community life.

The defacement of these signs had a profound affect on the parishioners at First Parish, as well as the community at large. According to Rabbi Boaz Heilman of Sudbury's Congregation B'nai Torah:

The world has created no symbol more vile and repulsive than a swastika. No image speaks so loudly, so clearly, and so terrifyingly. Unlike any other sign devised by the human mind and imagination, the swastika has but one meaning and purpose- to strike terror into the heart of its beholder . . . Seemingly, the ugly symbol [that appeared here in Sudbury] was not there to threaten its usual intended victim, the Jew. And yet, as Jews, it struck a chord of terror in our hearts. . . You wipe it off once, it reappears the next day. You whitewash it off one wall, off one headstone, and it reappears as though by some ugly magic somewhere else, as though it has a hundred heads and cutting off one only served to sprout three more.

The following is a chronicle of what happened in the days, weeks, and months following the events of January 27 and 28, 2001. An edited version of emails and updates written by Minister Katie Lee Crane for members of the First Parish congregation, this chronicle provides a powerful sense of the emotions felt and actions taken in the face of a hate crime.


A Community Acts: The Chronicle

Saturday, January 27
Sometime before 5:30 p.m. a person or persons painted swastikas on the rainbow symbols on two First Parish signs. A passerby noticed and called the police, who alerted First Parish. Several First Parish volunteers attempted to remove symbols.

Sunday, January 28
By the time people arrived to worship, the signs had been defaced again and the rainbow flag and pole were missing. First Parish Chair of the Board of Trustees spoke again with local police.

Monday, January 29
Rev. Katie Lee Crane and Board Chair Nancy Douttiel called for an emergency meeting of the congregation. With a few hours' notice, nearly 60 First Parish people gathered in the sanctuary to support one another and draft a collective response:

This is an act of hate, a violation of us as people and of our property. We respect anyone's right to disagree; in fact we invite dialogue, it is inherent in our values. However, we expect and deserve that any opinions be expressed with respect. This is not an acceptable way to register one's opposition; this is a violation of the worth and dignity not only of the people targeted but of all people.

After expressing grief and outrage, the congregation came to the following conclusions:

• This is not a simple act of vandalism; this is an act of hate.
• This is not merely a First Parish problem; this is a community problem.
• We need to ask for help from our neighbors, from experts, from allies.
• We need to ensure the security and safety of our tenants, our members, our friends, and our historic building and grounds.
• We will replace our rainbow symbols again and again; we will continue to display our public commitment to the presence and participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons in all aspects of community life.
• We will grieve and support one another but we will not respond to hatred with hatred; we will reach out in love; we will continue to educate ourselves and others in a manner that is consistent with our first principle: We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Tuesday, January 30
The story broke publicly. Rev. Crane gave interviews to local papers and many local television channels and radio stations. The Anti-Defamation League offered help. A representative from the Sudbury Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager came to personally express the town's support. Leaders from the Sudbury Public Schools, the Sudbury clergy, the Massachusetts Bay District clergy, and the Unitarian Universalist Association were alerted; many responded with offers of help and compassion.

Wednesday, January 31
Nancy Douttiel spoke with police about the investigation and continuing security. The Sudbury Selectmen issued a strongly worded statement condemning any act of hate and supporting First Parish. Local clergy launched plans for a Sunday "Vigil Against Hate" at First Parish. Calls, email messages, and notes of support began pouring in, literally from around the world.

Thursday, February 1
Support continued to pour in. People we had never met offered to bring us their personal rainbow flags. Churches wrote to say that they had initiated efforts to be more explicitly welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people thanks to our example. In a letter to the editor published in the local paper, high school students suggested that all homes in town fly the rainbow flag in an act of solidarity. The town and the schools began organizing educational events for later in the spring.

Friday, February 2
Close to 50 high school students and several faculty members from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School came to First Parish after school to present a statement with more than 400 signatures indicating their support. The students stood in front of First Parish with their Gay-Straight Alliance banner and with homemade signs that said, "Honk if you support First Parish!" There was a lot of honking, a great deal of commotion. Several of us were overcome with emotion at the sight of these young people standing in solidarity with us.

Late in the afternoon, the police identified three suspects-two young adults and one juvenile-who would be charged early the following week. The police credited young people and other local citizens with leading them to the suspects.

Sunday, February 4
Between 800 and 1,000 people attended a "Vigil Against Hate," organized by the Sudbury Clergy Association. The sight of the many people overflowing the sanctuary and Meetinghouse, then streaming out, singing, and lighting candles, was something never to forget. They wore rainbow pins and ribbons, they carried banners. They were families with kids, they were young and old, they were from different faith traditions. They were from Hingham and Cohasset, Reading and Winchester, western Massachusetts and Cape Cod. They were clergy, Selectmen, and local senators and representatives.

First Parish was presented with a rainbow flag on behalf of the many individuals and organizations that offered to do so. Rabbi Boaz Heilman spoke about the universal message of hate carried by the swastika symbol and reflected theologically on the choices humans make for good or evil. Chair of the Board of Selectmen Kirstin Roopenian spoke of the town's outrage, its commitment to diversity, and the need for forgiveness. Rev. Lisa Schoenwetter, Minister of Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury, spoke directly to the congregation: "Look around and feel the support," she told us, "and if you need us again, we'll be back again. And again. And again."

Then we sang our hearts out. "Oh, I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom. . . . " We sang and clapped and were moved. People held candles and banners and babies. It was a most beautiful sight-it was hard not to be moved to tears.

Monday, February 5
Three youths, all students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, were charged with defacing the signs. Two of the three counts are considered hate crimes under Massachusetts legislation: Vandalism of Houses of Worship and Damaging Property for the Purpose of Intimidation. Two youths, both 17, were charged as adults. A 16-year-old girl was also charged and will be tried in Juvenile Court. The three also have been charged with larceny for stealing the rainbow flag.

Wednesday, February 7
The Minister and Board Chair reported the events in detail to the Board of Trustees, and the Board discussed possible actions.

Thursday, February 15
At the invitation of First Parish Board of Directors, Andrew Tarsy, a civil defense lawyer from the Anti-Defamation League, and David Rudewick, from the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes, facilitated a meeting at First Parish to answer questions and to address concerns regarding the recent incidents of vandalism. They talked to parishioners about ways the congregation can and may wish to be involved and ways we cannot be involved. They spoke from their experiences about incidents directed specifically at GLBT people and addressed the issues that surface when the perpetrators are youth.

Weeks and months pass with the legal process ongoing, the community reacting and responding, and the congregation recovering-slowly, very slowly. For individuals as well as the congregation as a whole, the pain was deep and insidious and destructive.

Friday, March 30
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School held its once-every-four-year "Gay Awareness Day." Though a long time in the planning, the day was brought into high relief due to the events at First Parish earlier in the year. During the daylong event, many local clergy, including Rev. Crane, candidly expressed the whole range of theological viewpoints on homosexuality. Two members of First Parish, a gay man and a lesbian who are both L-S alums, spoke about their experiences of being "in the closet" as high school students.

Tuesday, June 9
At a worship service preceding the Boston Gay Pride Parade, the Pride Interfaith Coalition recognized First Parish "for their more than decade-long efforts on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community." Accepting the award for First Parish was the teen who, as a sophomore, convinced the congregation to fly a rainbow flag. She remembers:

I noticed a Protestant church with a rainbow sign that said everyone was welcome to come and worship. I remember thinking to myself, "If they are doing that, then we should be too. I mean . . . looking at our church from the outside you'd never be able to tell. I thought it would be good if people driving by knew that we welcomed gays and lesbians by seeing the rainbow flag.

In her remarks that day-and many times before and since-Rev. Crane has made this point:

Yes, it is true that three youth were accused of these crimes. But it was a youth who convinced us to fly a rainbow flag in the first place. It was youth who helped identify the perpetrators of the vandalism. It was youth who were among the first to respond, coming to First Parish after school with a statement signed by more than 400, most of them peers. And it was a youth who, seeing history in the making before his eyes, seized the opportunity to make a video documentary of the unfolding events.

Tuesday, July 3
The first of the three criminal cases regarding the youth charged with defacing the signs concluded. The other two cases are still in progress.2 The first defendant's case was Continued Without Making a Finding (CWOF) for a period of five years.3

Whether or not the church's particularly courageous welcoming of gay, lesbian, and transgendered people made it vulnerable to attack is unclear, but it has crossed the minds of many of us . . . In some sense, it was an action taken against the whole community, not just a particular church. It is important that we all stand together in strong opposition.

CYD Principles in Action

There is only one thing more powerful than learning from history and that is not learning from history.

-Archibald McLeish

This story-the story of hate crimes committed against a house of worship-turned into a magnificent story of an American community at its best. Political, religious, social, educational, and economic boundaries were put aside as people from our community invested in creating a safe, just, and compassionate community for all its members. Young people from the schools and churches were fully engaged. Adult leaders facilitated open dialogue with all parties. No federal funding or facilitation could have accomplished what this small group of committed citizens did in the way of community building. This is authentic community development-an investment of human interest in humankind. You can't buy that or legislate it.

It is also the story about what makes justice-seeking work so hard. When it comes right down to it, it is not easy to balance justice and compassion. It is a challenge to respect the accused youth in the face of their hideous acts and it offers an insidious temptation to categorize other youth as destructive or dangerous. It is not easy to level judgment against fellow citizens, neighbors in a small town. It is not easy to discern a fitting punishment for the damage done, not to a couple of signs, but to a people. It is not easy to understand and accept adult society's role in leading youth down paths of destruction and hate. It is not easy to forgive even young people for acts of hate.

One of our jobs as CYD professionals and policymakers is to determine what can be learned from experiences such as this. How many other First Parish communities are there out there-moving to action rather than sitting in silence? What were the ingredients, the elements in this community, in other communities like it, that sparked action and embodied CYD principles? What combination of leadership, respect for difference, open-mindedness, critical thinking, insight, foresight, heart does it take for communities to come together and act for social justice?


The Tough Questions and Unfinished Business

There is power and there is difference, and those who hold the power determine the meaning of the difference.

-June Jordan, Social Activist

The chronicle of events and the voices of the participants paint an impressive picture of a caring community in action. A community builder's dream: value-centered leadership, youth--adult partnerships, civic action, deliberate open dialogue.

Too often [when something like this happens], there is deafening silence. The interfaith response to the incident at First Parish was particularly powerful. You have done something that has a protective and empowering effect for the community and beyond. It has already made a profound difference.

Between the lines and in private conversations, the experience also reminds us of the distance yet to travel. Reflecting on the long road to justice, Frederick Douglas put it this way: "In the struggle for equality and justice, your only reward may be the opportunity to stay in the struggle for equality and justice."

There are still tough questions to confront, unfinished business to take care of. For example, is it still acceptable in our nation to discriminate against and exhibit prejudice toward GLBT people? Why was it sometimes hard to be explicit about exactly who was being targeted by this hate crime? How do we reconcile the young people who perpetrated this crime with the many young people who stood up and spoke out for social justice in Sudbury? Why was it so easy for many of us to assume that this act was perpetrated by young people even before we knew this to be the case? What is the role of a community of faith in forgiveness?

This last point deserves further consideration. While some feel strongly that the community should be ready to forgive, others feel that certain conditions must be met first. Still others have attempted to clarify a distinction between the need for the youth to take responsibility for the seriousness of their action and the congregation's desire to influence the court to consider "creative sentencing" if the youth are convicted of these hate crime charges.

It should be noted that the sentencing of the one youth whose case has concluded followed exactly the congregation's recommendations for sentencing. Specifically:

We believe strongly that early intervention in hate crimes is essential. We further believe that the imposition of appropriate consequences designed to help the individuals become better citizens is more important than punitive actions. Only with justice and compassion can there be forgiveness and healing. We hope that in coming to understand the wrongness of their acts and the pain that they have caused, these young people will discover and respect the beauty, dignity and worth of every human being. We also hope that this will help to heal the damage these acts have caused to the people of First Parish, Sudbury and the larger community.

-First Parish of Sudbury Victim Impact Statement

Two issues seem to be at the heart of these tough questions and concerns: the underlying prejudice against GLBT people (heterosexism/homophobia) and against young people (adultism). Both issues are evident in the subtext of the story.


Homophobia

Our youth group was in Washington, taking the tour of the Holocaust Museum. As we inched our way down the winding path leading to the depths of human depravity, surrounded by photographs and other witnesses the darkness of the age, we reached a wall where there was a list of the various groups that Hitler and his henchmen had persecuted. It was the Jews, but also others that he deemed degenerate-the mentally impaired . . . the Gypsies . . . the homosexuals . . . Two men, not from our group, stood before that wall; one read aloud the list. When he reached the homosexuals, his friend responded, "Well, that at least is one thing Hitler did right." I froze in my tracks thinking I heard the neighing of horses and the clangor of iron chains.

-Rabbi Boaz Heilman

It has been painfully obvious to the gay and lesbian community and their allies that homophobia was at the center of this case, yet few meetings, hearings, articles, or dialogues named it as such. It was veiled in language about respecting "individual difference," victimization, diversity. If mentioned at all, the focus was on being a "welcoming community" for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, not about the anti-gay sentiment that still pervades much of this society.

But the events reminded us that despite the recent burst of media attention nationally, the mainstreaming of gay and lesbian families and individuals has not resulted in the marginalization of the prejudice that this group faces. Some claim that recent high visibility gains in civil rights have resulted in a backlash politically and behaviorally. Anti-gay prejudice is broadcast in this country daily to say nothing of the school violence and hate crime statistics. Yet policymakers have precious little evidence-based research to use in formulating policy that protects this group's civil and human rights, and therefore, their quality of life. For example, hotly debated legislation that affects GLBT people includes hate crime legislation, adoption law, domestic partnership benefits, safe schools, employment discrimination, health care and insurance, and freedom to marry.

There is public resistance to taking a stand on discrimination based on sexual orientation as we have against intolerance based on race, ethnicity, and religion. One gets a sense that the GLBT community must "go along to get along," or "it's okay to disagree on this one." Is this about making compromises for the sake of consensus building and incremental change? Or is it a strategic step in a value-centered learning community where the majority of community members do recognize prejudice and the targeting of a specific group of people when they see it up close? In either case, it reminds us that part of the CYD movement is not only about standing up, but also about standing out in the campaign for human rights and social justice for all.

A February 4, 2001 article in the local Sunday paper reminds us of a central issue: "Hate Crime Offenders Younger-Gays Among Top Targets":

The number of reported hate crimes in Massachusetts is on the rise, but the targeted minority of groups are changing, according to State officials . . . The perpetrators are getting younger and they are increasingly targeting people because of their sexual orientation . . . In 1998, two thirds of the hate crimes in the State were committed by people under the age of 20 and sexual orientation climbed to the second most frequent target . . .

Adultism: Teenagers and Low Expectations?

From the beginning, I was livid when someone would say, 'Oh, what's the big deal, it was just kids!' On the one hand, such remarks suggested that somehow the crime was less hateful if done by 'just kids.' On the other hand, it jumped to the conclusion that, if something goes wrong, it must be kids who did it. Either sentiment made my blood boil! It was far more complex than that.

-Katie Lee Crane

The CYD Framework defines Community Youth Development as "intentional social change . . . a process of youth and adults working in partnership to create just, safe and healthy communities." One of the assumptions underlying the action plan is that "young people are bearing the brunt of our fear and unwillingness to collectively create a society that values and welcomes participation. Youth are seen as a collection of problems instead of future parents, neighbors, and workers who need maximum adult involvement, teaching and encouragement to grow and be productive citizens."

The First Parish case tested this assumption. Is all the fuss about these young people? What are the broader implications? Was this a prank or a hate crime? And what should happen to these youth? Many of us undoubtedly feel compassion for the youth and their families, even as we feel outrage at their hateful acts. Massachusetts law defines a hate crime as follows:

A criminal act motivated by feelings of bias and targeted toward a particular group with the intent to intimidate. Hate crimes pose a wider threat to society because they target a particular group based on who they are and cause a ripple effect in the larger community. Although the average hate crime is not murder, but rather harassment, assault, intimidation or desecration of property, its impact must not be underestimated. Each hate crime puts a stress on the social fabric and threatens our liberties.

And yet how easy it is for adults to assume that when something bad happens, it must be the fault of young people. Or how enticing to hold the low expectations that, of course, young people act in such ways: youth will be youth and we can't expect much more. What responsibility must citizens take in a society that consistently and pervasively undervalues youth? And what of the many youth who stood up and spoke out? Why are they forgotten, ignored, and under-appreciated?

In the end this story is about hope and integrity. It is about the many young people and adults who came together to work in partnership to create a safe, just, and healthy community for First Parish-for their GLBT neighbors, friends, and families; for the local community; and for those of us who seek justice for all. If we aim to have a positive impact on the human condition, we need to emulate the best practitioners and act with integrity. Yale Law Professor Stephen Carter identifies three steps for acting with integrity that resonate with us:

• Discerning what is right and what is wrong
• Acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost
• Saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong

That is what motivated the members and friends of First Parish. In a March 25 worship service Rev. Crane gave voice to the congregation's commitment:

We care. We won't ignore the hate. And we will stand up, stand together and say so. We will insist that everyone have basic human rights. We won't deny the very real pain. We will reach out and share it. We will welcome people who have been spurned in the name of God. We will celebrate the presence and the participation of everyone who shares our values.

In the end, we must heed this vision:

I believe that love will prevail and peace will rule the earth only when we can bring ourselves to be fully, openly present to the pain that violence causes, when we know in the deepest, most truthful place in ourselves that each act of hatred tears at the fine web of life to which we are all attached, and must be countered by acts of healing. When we dare to feel another's pain, we shall be so deeply affected that we will not turn aside, but rush to be healers, lovers, friends.

-Rev. Elizabeth Tarbox

Footnotes

1. See "David Kahn's Profile" at www.stopthehate.org/features for the video Sudbury Stands Up. (back)
2. A CWOF requires that the defendant admit to the charges against him, agree to a period of probation (in this case, five years), and, when probation has been completed satisfactorily, return to the Court for a hearing. If the defendant has met all requirements and no other infractions are noted, the defendant will have no permanent record of being convicted of this offense. If there are any infractions within the probationary period the defendant will be summoned to court, automatically considered guilty of these charges, and sentenced accordingly. (back)
3. See "Community Youth Development: A Framework for Action" in CYD Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Hughes, Curnan: pp. 7--11). (back)

Authors

Katie Lee Crane serves First Parish of Sudbury as its parish minister. Ordained in 1997, Rev. Crane accepted the call to ministry in 1998. Prior to ministry, Crane was a writer and marketing communications consultant and small business owner.