We have to decide what kind of nation we want to be. If we don’t, we might become a different country, a dark country.
— Jorge Ramos
From Fusion:
A new film, “Hate Rising,” reported by Fusion and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, shows the astonishing and very concerning rise of hate in America. From the Ku Klux Klan to the so called alt-right movement, white supremacist groups are growing in numbers and influence. Their ideas, usually confined to private and secretive gatherings, are becoming mainstream thanks in part to the rhetoric on the campaign trail this election cycle.
There is a small, radical segment of the white non-hispanic population that feels threatened by the demographic changes in the country and is resisting the possibility of becoming a minority. The Southern Poverty Law Center has dubbed it “the Trump Effect.”
Throughout the documentary, Ramos explores the mainstreaming of these ideas on TV and social media, and in our communities and classrooms. Over four months, he traveled to small towns across the nation speaking with neo-Nazis, members of the KKK, and the alt-right. He also heard stories of Muslims and Latinos who have been the victims of hate crimes.
Last year, Ramos himself, a Mexican immigrant who is also an American citizen, experienced the anger and intolerance simmering at the surface of our society when a Trump supporter told him to “get out of my country.”
Hate Rising is directed by Catherine Tambini and produced in conjunction with Fusion and Univision Story House.
