(WHITE HOUSE – September 16, 2022) – Yesterday, at the White House, President Biden hosted the United We Stand Summit to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety. The Summit honored the resilience of communities healing from hateful attacks, including mass shootings, from Oak Creek to Orlando, Charleston, Pittsburgh, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, and beyond.
The Summit puts forward a shared vision for a more united America, demonstrating that the vast majority of Americans agree that there is no place for hate-fueled violence in our country and that when Americans stand united to renew civic bonds and heal divides, we can help prevent acts of hate and violence. The Summit is just the beginning of this work, and every American has a role to play in this cause. Yesterday, President Biden rallied a whole-of-society response to prevent, respond to, and recover from hate-fueled violence, and to foster national unity.
The White House announced a historic package of new actions the federal government, civic, faith, philanthropic, and business leaders will take to address hate-fueled violence and advance national unity:
- The President will announce new agency actions to strengthen the federal government’s coordination and community engagement to prevent, respond to, and recover from hate-fueled violence.
- Federal agencies are announcing new steps to strengthen the resources available to local schools, law enforcement agencies, and cultural institutions like museums and libraries to prevent and respond to hate-fueled violence.
- Bipartisan former White House officials will launch Dignity.us, a Citizens’ Initiative to Address Hate-Fueled Violence in America, to foster dialogue in communities across the country and identify solutions to address hate-fueled violence. The Citizens’ Initiative will be coordinated by four former Directors of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Republican and Democratic presidents. The Presidential Centers or Foundations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford will support the initiative.
- New Pluralists, a cross-partisan group of philanthropic and field leaders, is mobilizing $1 billion in new investments to increase support for programs that build bridges among Americans of different backgrounds to foster unity.
- Compact to Combat Hate and Extremism, committing to stand up against hate-fueled violence and increase their support for local initiatives that heal divides.
- Service organizations, led by Interfaith America, the YMCA, and Habitat for Humanity, are launching A Nation of Bridge Builders, a new partnership that will train 10,000 Americans to be bridge builders in their neighborhoods, and will host over 1,000 bridge building events in over 300 communities.
- Technology companies, including YouTube, Twitch, Microsoft, and Meta are announcing new actions their platforms are taking to prevent hate-fueled violence.
At the Summit, the White House also honored 16 “Uniters” from across America:
- Pastor Bob Roberts, Imam Mohamed Magid, and Rabbi David Saperstein – Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Richard and Dawn Collins – 2nd Lieutenant Richard Collins III Foundation, Crofton, Maryland
- Former Lieutenant Brian Murphy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Dennis and Judy Shepard – Matthew Shepard Foundation, Casper, Wyoming
- Alana Grant – Hate Won’t Win Movement, Columbia, South Carolina
- Masood Akhtar – We Are Many United Against Hate, Madison, Wisconsin
- Jeff Binkley – Maura’s Voice, Atlanta, Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida
- Valarie Kaur – civil rights leader, Los Angeles, California
- Pastor Tom Breeden and Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin – One America Movement, Charlottesville, Virginia and Arlington, Virginia
- Carmina Taylor – civil rights activist, Hatfield Township, Pennsylvania
- Chairman Jordan Dresser – Northern Arapaho Tribe, Wyoming
- Miriam Vargas Corona – UNIDOS Bridging Communities, McMinnville, Oregon
- Reverend Dr. Darryn Scheske – Heartland Church, Fishers, Indiana
- Taylor Dumpson – anti-hate activist, Washington, DC
- Mina Fedor – AAPI Youth Rising, Piedmont, California
- Dr. Suzanne Barakat – University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
These heroes lead extraordinary work in their communities to stand together against hate, build bridges, and heal divides.
The Summit also featured survivors of hate-motivated violence who shared their stories of loss, healing, and advocacy. Participants included bipartisan and nonpartisan federal, state, local, and Tribal officials, civil rights groups, faith and community leaders, business leaders, law enforcement officials, former members of violent hate groups who now work to prevent violence, and gun violence prevention leaders.
