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Teaching Tolerance to the Young to Prevent Hate

Photo: Garry Knight via Flickr Creative Commons

Media reports of increased incidents of hate crime have heightened awareness of the issue across the country, but in the case of one Naples man, personal experience spurred him to action.

When Sandy Gradinger talked with people who had been intimidated or harassed—often crying along with them as they told their stories—he  decided to set up a presentation with the outreach specialist from the Southern Poverty Law Center to talk about its Teaching Tolerance program.

That's bringing Lecia Brooks, who leads the SPLC’s outreach efforts, to speaking Thursday night at Temple Shalom in Naples.

Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., both Brooks and Gradinger join the program to discuss the upcoming speaking engagement, the data SPLC tracks on hate crimes like anti-Semitism in Florida, and the inspiration behind bringing this conversation to Naples.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
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