A hate crime is motivated by hostility toward a person or group in a verbal or physical way. It’s a crime of discrimination based on color, creed, gender or sexual orientation.

There are people on NIU’s campus fighting to stop these crimes not only at NIU, but everywhere. Stop the Hate is a vigil that began last year on campus, presented by the Interface Alliance.

The idea of a vigil was brought to the attention of Rita Root by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Root, who is the president of the Campus Ministries Association and pastor at United Campus Ministries/Wesley Foundation, became the vigil’s director.

A vigil, which is a nocturnal devotion and prayer, is open to people of all faiths. Students are encouraged to come and show support to end hate crimes.

Christopher Pearson, a freshman computer science major and an African American, is no stranger to hate crimes. While visiting family in Tennessee, he was a victim of a racial hate crime.

“The family that I was visiting was white and living in a white community, and one guy in particular was harassing me,” Pearson said. “He kept asking if I was going to sell drugs to my cousins, or did I carry around a gun. This verbal abuse led to a physical altercation, and I was upset about this because it made me jump right into another stereotype that all black people are violent.”

Pearson offered a viewpoint and suggestion on the issue.

“I think that hate crimes need to be stopped, but without awareness it will continue,” Pearson said.

United Campus Ministries/Wesley Foundation offered tips to help prevent hate crimes. The tips include not acting violently and also standing up to violence directed at anyone and speaking out when people are attacked because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, gender or disability, according to the foundation.

“This is the second year for this vigil; last year we had about 150-200 people attend,” Root said. “This year we are hoping, and expecting a large turnout also,” Root said.

This vigil was sponsored by many organizations, including Southeast Asian Club, Women’s Alliance, P.R.I.S.M., President’s Council on Sexual Orientation, Committee on Unity and Diversity and many others.

This year’s vigil will begin at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 in the King Memorial Commons. Leroy Mitchell, Sally Conklin and a representative from the Islamic Student Association will all be on-hand to speak about the awareness of hate crimes.