New York Senate passes legislation to mandate education on symbols of hate
Kaminsky spearheaded the bill after Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas noted than many youth arrested for "hate graffiti" have no knowledge of the meaning behind the symbols they illustrate.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFEmmanuel Macron looks at a grave defaced with a swastika during a visit to the Jewish cemetery in Quatzenheim on February 19.(photo credit: FREDERICK FLORIN/POOL/VIA REUTERS)
The New York State Senate passed a bill sponsored by Senator Todd Kaminsky that will make it mandatory for students to learn about symbols of hate, such as the swastika and noose - labelling them as "symbols of bigotry."The legislation will mandate that New York middle and high schools include such education in their curriculums. If signed into law, it would be the first bill in the United States to require schools to educate their students on symbols of hate.“With incidents of racism and anti-Semitism rearing their ugly head across our nation, it is essential that we tackle the root causes of bigotry and hate that have infected our society,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky. “By educating our children about the vile meanings of the swastika and noose, we can take tangible steps to stamp out racism and antisemitism from our society. I urge the Assembly to pass this vital piece of legislation and send a clear message that hate has no place in New York and our nation at-large.”Kaminsky spearheaded the bill after Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas noted that many youths arrested for "hate graffiti" have no knowledge of the meaning behind the symbols they illustrate.“The noise and swastika are symbols of hate that have been used to threaten and intimidate, and as we work to address injustice in our communities, educating children about the meaning and history of these hate symbols is an important step,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “I thank Senator Kaminsky and Assemblyman Lavine for their leadership and commitment to this important legislation.”“We all recognize that there is much work to do to eliminate racism and anti-semitism from our society. By ensuring students across New York are taught the hateful underpinnings of the noose as a symbol of racism as well as the swastika as the emblem of the Nazis, we are taking a significant step toward our ultimate goal. I applaud Senator Kaminsky's work on this vital piece of legislation and look forward to seeing it enacted into law,” said NAACP Long Island Regional Director Tracey Edwards.“In the last few years, hate crimes have been on the rise on Long Island, in New York State, and our Nation. While there needs to be various means used in combating this hate, one of the key components must be educating our youth,” said Executive Director of JCRC-LI Mindy Perlmutter. “Thus, Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island is proud to support Senator Todd Kaminsky’s bill requiring New York school children in grades 6 through 12 to be educated regarding symbols of hate, including the swastika and the noose. We thank Senator Kaminsky for his leadership and commitment to this issue.”
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