Say no to hate
White House hosts summit to address hate-based violence
President Biden on Thursday is hosting a summit at the White House aimed at addressing and combating hate-based violence in the U.S. The event, titled "United We Stand," will honor communities recovering from hate-based incidents like the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub attack and the 2019 Walmart attack in El Paso, NPR reports.
The summit will also include remarks from Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the state of hate-based violence in the country. Additionally, a White House briefing released prior to the event details actions the administration is taking to combat such violence, including a number of agency undertakings as well as a so-called "Citizens' Initiative to address Hate-Fueled Violence in America," which will be run by former White House officials. The president will also on Thursday honor 16 "Uniters," or Americans who worked to bring their communities together and "address hate and division," per the United We Stand website.
The event comes just weeks after Biden's speech about Republican extremists, whom he called "semi-fascists" and "a threat to our very democracy." His comments sparked some debate as to whether unity is something that can be achieved at all; but the White House has stressed that Thursday's summit is about hate-based violence and not political violence, so both Republicans and Democrats should agree with its mission, NPR reports.
Officials from both parties have made statements in support of the summit, which the White House says "will put forward a shared vision for a more united America."