fbpx
Search
Close this search box.

Youth Healing Hate

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it.”

-Helen Keller

In 2016 the United States experienced a rise in hate crimes that continued into consecutive years.

Local communities have been targeted because of their religion, sexuality, and ethnicity. In response to these events, the Gandhi Institute (in partnership with the Farash Foundation) created Youth Healing Hate grants to empower youth to address the root causes of hate and incivility. Now in its sixth iteration, the grant has enabled Rochester-area youth to complete over 50 projects that build community and support in place of fear and hate.  

Every year, local youth ages 12-24 can receive up to $1,000 for projects that provide a creative solution to fear, hostility, and division within their community.

For more information. email mkgi@gandhiinstitute.org

Inspiration for the Grants

The Youth Healing Hate project initially drew from two sources for inspiration. First is Howard Thurman’s book Jesus and the Disinherited, a book that Dr. King carried with him for years. In this book, Thurman, an African-American faith leader who mentored Dr. King and countless other leaders, warns people of the danger to any society where hatred has become respectable, and of the need for people to actively understand and reduce hate.

A second source of inspiration is the founding story of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, whose lands are where the Gandhi Institute and the recipients of these grants live. It is a remarkable example of the enduring power of transforming hate. We hope that everyone involved in these projects will become healers, peacemakers, and warriors for justice.