African American Responses to Racially Motivated Hate Crime - Voices from South Carolina

• In Event: The Pervasive Effects of Hate Crime Offending

Abstract

Examination of racially motivated hate crime indicates that the numbers of anti-Black hate crimes committed are consistently higher than the remaining racial categories combined. Despite this pattern, there has been minimal systematic study of anti-Black hate crimes. The current study addresses this significant void in the scientific literature. The central question investigated is how do members of the African American community construct understanding of anti-Black motivated hate crime and in what ways does this understanding impact perceptions of safety, interracial trust, community cohesion and collective efficacy and attitudes of patriotism. Phenomenological qualitative research methods were used to conduct a series of in-depth survey/interviews with study participants which focused on the shooting deaths that occurred at the AME church of Charleston, South Carolina and hate crime in general.. Preliminary findings suggest that some African Americans persist in attitudes of patriotism despite feelings of white distrust, feelings of vulnerability in the U.S, and uncertainty in their communities to respond effectively to hate crime.

Author

• Carolyn Petrosino, Bridgewater State University