Lansing, MI-On Tuesday, Sept. 10 the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes (MIAAHC) will host
MI Response to Hate, a statewide conference on hate crimes, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, 219 S. Harrison Rd, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824.
The one-day conference, now in its 14th year, is the largest gathering of its kind in Michigan. Opening remarks will begin at 8:45 am and the conference will adjourn at 3 pm. Members of the news media are welcome to attend.
The theme of this year's conference is "In Allyship, We Rise: Together Against Hate" and features prominent experts who will speak on topics including understanding the history of race and policing, radicalization to violence, a legal overview of hate crimes, and extremism in gaming.
Speakers include:
- Dana Nessel - Michigan Attorney General
- Dawn N. Ison - U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Mark A. Totten - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan
- John E. Johnson, Jr. - Executive Director, Michigan Department of Civil Rights
- Gloria Lara - Chair, Michigan Civil Rights Commission
- Zack Stanton - Deputy Editor, POLITICO
- Brett Mason - Special Agent, FBI
- Ben Popp - Center on Extremism, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
- Peter Hammer - Director of Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, Wayne State University
- Sarah Krebs - Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Michigan State Police
- Antonio Richardson - Detective Sergeant with the Cyber Section, Michigan State Police
- Sunita Doddamani - Assistant United States Attorney, Civil Rights Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Nils Kessler - Assistant United States Attorney, National Security Section, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan
- La Donna Logan - Assistant Attorney General, Head of Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit, Michigan Department of Attorney General
- Jocelyn Howard - Executive Director, Citadel of Perpetual Learning, LLC
- Erika Bernabei - Co-Lead, Equity and Results
- Ashley Lee - Chief Programs Officer, Public Allies
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is charged with investigating and resolving discrimination complaints and works to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. The Department also provides training and services to businesses, organizations and government agencies on diversity initiatives and equal employment law. Find more information on the Michigan Department of Civil Rights at
michigan.gov/mdcr.
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