Safety Tips for Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate

March 2021
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5 Things to Consider When Experiencing Hate

  1. Safety First: Trust your instincts and assess your surroundings. If you feel unsafe and you are able to, leave the area.
  2. Stay Calm: Take a deep breath, limit eye-contact, and maintain neutral body language.
  3. Speak Out (If you can do so safely): In a calm and firm voice establish physical boundaries, and denounce their behavior and comments.
  4. Seek Immediate Support: Ask bystanders for support or intervention.
  5. Seek Emotional Support: Once you feel safe, take time to recover and reach out to someone to talk about what happened. Remember this is not your fault, and you are not alone.

5 Ways to Help If You Witness Hate

  1. Take Action: Approach the targeted person, introduce yourself, and offer support.
  2. Actively Listen: Ask before taking any actions and respect the targeted person’s wishes. Monitor the situation if needed.
  3. Ignore Attacker: Using your discretion, attempt to calm the situation by using your voice, body language, or distractions.
  4. Accompany: If the situation escalates, invite the targeted person to join you in leaving.
  5. Offer Emotional Support: Help the targeted person by asking how they’re feeling. Assist them in figuring out what they want to do next.