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As reports of hate and discrimination against marginalized groups are on the rise, a new Lower Manhattan museum exhibit aims to teach students about the roots of hate speech, as well as the dangerous outcomes that can occur if it is left unchecked.
And they’re hoping to get thousands of New York City public school students to see it.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage exhibit, titled “ Speaking Up! Confronting Hate Speech ,” opened on Wednesday, and will remain on display through the end of the school year, closing on June 29. It comes on the heels of a new partnership between the museum and the city’s public schools, with the exhibit aiming to show how language can lead to discrimination, persecution, and mass violence — providing students with historical and contemporary examples of how words can connect to harmful events, according to exhibit organizers.
“Acts of hate don’t start with violence,” said Jack Kliger, the museum’s president and CEO. “They start with words, and with thoughts, and with teaching. You have to be taught to hate.”