Hate Has No Home Here initiative launched statewide

Speak Out Against Hate launched its statewide initiative, Hate Has No Home Here, at a meeting in Lewes June 19, amidst a tumultuous and divisive national backdrop.

The campaign is simple, using a clear and direct statement to reject hate in Delaware communities. The goal is to fill yards and windows of homes and businesses across the state with signs displaying the slogan.

“Let it be known that the First Town in the First State leads with love, teaches by its actions and extends our open arms to all that arrive here, live here, work here and visit here,” said Lewes Mayor Amy Marasco in an address at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. “Together, we can be the light. Together, we can make it so that hate has no home in Lewes, or in Delaware, or in our nation, because if we lovingly take up all the light and all the space, it simply has no room at all.”

The initiative comes amidst the Trump administration’s mass deportations, escalating ICE raids and military politicization, which have been met with significant pushback. Nearly a week prior, an estimated 5 million people across the nation, including thousands in Rehoboth Beach, took part in peaceful No Kings protests in opposition to Trump and his actions.

Just hours before those peaceful protests, two Democratic Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot at their homes in what officials believe to be politically targeted attacks. One of the lawmakers, Rep. Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were killed, and authorities say the suspect had a hit list of 45 elected officials, all Democrats.

The keynote speaker at SOAH’s June 19 meeting, U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, denounced the attacks. 

“We can disagree on issues; we can disagree on policy,” Blunt Rochester said. “I think that’s an important part of the foundation of this country. But it should not be violent.”

She urged Delawareans to keep pushing back, but to do it with love and compassion, not hate. 

Among other speakers at the meeting were Lewes Police Chief Thomas Spell, Father Jeff Ross of St. Peter’s, Schell Brothers Director of Marketing Alyssa Titus, SOAH Director Bonnie Tamres-Moore, Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice founder and SOAH co-founder and board member Charlotte King, Cape school district social worker Gloria Ho and Cape High student Emerson Sheldon.

“We have heard a resurgence of past tactics used to divide and distract the people we share this country with,” said Sheldon, a rising senior. “Rhetoric that isn’t just being used by those in power, but also by those who have been blinded by their message. It’s a powerful tactic; if the people are so afraid of each other, the possibility of a joint opposition is a fleeting trouble.”

He reminded the audience that those tactics have been used several times before, turning fear into racial suspicion and blame after catastrophes like the Pearl Harbor attack and 9/11. Now, he said, those tactics are being used against immigrants.

“Those of us that still believe in America’s promise know immigrants are overwhelmingly not gang members, are not drug traffickers, are not after the sons and daughters of our nation,” he said. “They’re good, hardworking people that are simply seeking shade under the American flag. At their core, they’re no different than us, and we must treat them as such.”

Ho, a licensed clinical social worker at Milton Elementary, spoke about the ways in which hatred manifests in schools in Cape and beyond.

Walking through the hallways of her school, she said, one will see bright colors, cheerful student artwork, students appearing engaged and teachers praising their students. But there’s much that isn’t seen, she said.

“You couldn’t see the child sitting silently at his desk, consumed with fear after learning that his father, who was missing for three days, was deported,” Ho said. “Now he wonders how his mother will pay rent and how she’ll be able to feed them ... You couldn’t see the second-grader holding back tears because he has to miss recess, his favorite part of the day, to appear before an immigration judge, who will decide whether he can stay in this country and the only school he’s ever known, where he truly loves to learn. You couldn’t see these things by looking at our students, but I see them. These are my students.”

What happens inside our schools, she said, reflects what’s happening across our communities. Immigrants are vilified, protections for LGBTQ+ and immigrant students are being stripped away, DEI programs are under attack, Black history is being erased and Asian Americans are mocked with slurs, she said.

“When we stay silent in the face of injustice, when we allow hate to go unchecked, what are we teaching our students?” she asked. “Change doesn’t start with someone else; it starts with us.”

Chief Spell affirmed that there is no room for bias-based policing or hate in his profession. He vowed to stand against hate and bias in all forms, both in the Lewes community and his own ranks, and he encouraged folks to stay informed and get involved in their local police accountability committees.

After the event, SOAH handed out Hate Has No Home Here banners and bumper stickers. Orders can also be placed through SOAH Director Bonnie Tamres-Moore at 512-299-0163 or bonnie@opposetorture.org.

“My wish is that years to come, our community will be remembered not only for the beautiful natural setting of Lewes, for the history of our community or our gardens, but for how we've committed to treat one another with love and light,” Marasco said. “Let us move forward with courage and resolve. Hate has no home anywhere in my city.”