Living in a world without hate
Every October, students at North Central College in Naperville stand up for a simple idea: Love. We call it Anti-Hate Week five days of dialogue about hate and its consequences but at the heart of every film, performance, and speaking event is love.
We believe that love transcends hate, and our friendly community exemplifies that ideal. People matter at North Central, and so do their ideas. This year's Anti-Hate Week kicked off on Monday, October 25 with a screening of the acclaimed documentary, “Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue to Hope.”
Among the many groups profiled is the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based group known for protesting at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. When we heard that the Westboro Baptist Church was planning to protest the screening on our campus, many of us first reacted with surprise and anger. But after deeper thought, it became clear that their protest was an incredible opportunity for the student body to practice the love and acceptance we already value at North Central.
Our response was simple we loved. The church members didn't show up on Monday, but over 400 students and community members did. We sang, danced and chanted in the spirit of love. Many of us carried signs with messages ranging from powerful Bible verses to pure silliness. Most importantly, we packed two houses to watch the film.
Our demonstration was an enactment of the world we want to live in. A world without hatred a world where people love one another regardless of color, sexual orientation, nationality or any other factor. This is the world we choose to live in at North Central College, and we hope that members of the Westboro Baptist Church will choose to live in that world too.
Josh Bailey
NNC Class of 2011
Galesburg