New York — The Center for American Progress, the Anti-Defamation League, and a diverse group of partners will convene the fall summit for “Communities Overcoming Extremism: The After Charlottesville Project,” on November 28-30, 2018. This national capacity-building project is focused on empowering communities with tools to combat the dramatic rise in extremism, intolerance, and political violence cities and communities have experienced since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.
The initiative will showcase the power of diverse public- and private-sector coalitions and help build localized capacity to enhance the ability of communities and cities across America to respond and prevent violent extremist events like the Unite the Right rally from happening in the future.
“In the wake of recent tragedies such as the murder of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh; the killing of two African Americans in Jeffersontown, Kentucky; and the incel shooting at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, the eyes of millions have been opened to the true dangers of today’s extremism. By bringing together partners from public and private sectors, we aim to explore solutions to help prevent events like these from becoming commonplace in American communities,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt.
The fall summit will bring together a remarkable group of leaders, including the mayors of Boston, Portland, Berkeley, Chattanooga, and Columbia, South Carolina—cities that have experienced civil unrest, extremism, and even terrorism.
The initiative will showcase the power of diverse public and private sector coalitions and help build localized capacity to enhance the ability of communities and cities across America to respond and prevent violent extremist events from occurring in the future. ADL is working on this effort in tandem with Center for American Progress, The Fetzer Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Justice and Society Program, the Charles Koch Institute, Hope Not Hate, the National Immigration Forum, and Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.
“By convening conversations around specific policies and programs, the project will build capacity in the public and private sectors for this crucial work to strengthen democracy against extremism,” said former Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, founder and chair of Communities Overcoming Extremism.
The summit will include tracks and wisdom circles on reconciling the First and Second amendments and public safety; on the role of public schools and policing against extremism; building alliances and using the bully pulpit, “otherization” of immigrant communities; and extremism in the context of American democracy and history. The summit will kick off with a special conversation on domestic terrorism with U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) top official Tom Brzozowski.
Speakers include:
- Former Missouri U.S. Sen. John Danforth (R-MO)
- U.S. Conference of Mayors President Steve Benjamin of Columbia, South Carolina
- Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston, Massachussets
- Gold Star parent Khizr Khan
- Former DOJ prosecutor Mary McCord of Georgetown University
- New York Times columnist Peter Wehner
- Constitutional Law Professor John Inazu of Washington University
- Former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, Charter for Compassionate Cities
The fall summit will be followed by a second event in the Spring of 2019.
Th list of advisory board members can be found here, including national thought leaders such as Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Anne-Marie Slaughter for New America. More information, including an agenda and speakers, at www.coeacp.org. Attendance is free, and individuals interested in attending can register here.
Communities Overcoming Extremism—The After Charlottesville Project is supported in part by financial contributions from the Charles Koch Institute, The Fetzer Institute, Lionel and Eileen Aptman, and the Soros Fund Charitable Foundation.
ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.