On International Human Rights Day, World Without Hate’s own Rais Bhuiyan gave the keynote address to students and faculty participating in University of Wisconsin at Green Bay’s Common College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) program focusing on human rights issues, specifically on ‘how to combat hate and white supremacist violence.’
“Because of my encounter with a White Supremacist, I wanted to learn more about the root cause of hate and extreme ideology. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak and connect with people throughout the US, and around the world for several years now, including those who hate or have hated, and hurt others.
One commonality I’ve heard is that the perpetrator was at one time a victim too – a victim of the environment they grew up in and the people they associated with.
I have to come to learn that as with most learned behaviors, hate can be unlearned as well. We have the capability to turn negatives into positives, weakness into strength, fear into courage, ignorance into wisdom and hatred into love.”
~ Rais Bhuiyan