On Sept. 15, the White House and President Joe Biden will host the historic “United We Stand” summit to combat the hate-fueled violence that has plagued the country in recent times. The effort comes from his own campaign promise to “heal the soul of the nation.” 

The White House announced on Friday, Aug. 19, that Biden will host the event that will highlight the “corrosive effects” that violence has on public safety and democracy as a whole as it further crumbles and harbors distrust. This comes after advocates across the country pushed the President to do so after a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York earlier this year targeted Black shoppers. Other hate-fueled incidents of violence to happen in recent years include one that targeted Latinos in El Paso, the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. 

Along with hosting the event, the President will deliver a keynote address. Among those attending the event will include law enforcement, civil rights groups, faith leaders, gun violence protection advocates, former members of hate groups, as well as the victims of extremist violence and cultural figures. Among the civil rights orgs is the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). It also looks to bring together Democrat and Republican leaders at the state and federal level to combat the hate-motivated violence against citizens and political figures. 

Biden has said that the 2017 Charlottesville riots is what made him want to run for President against then-President Donald Trump. During his campaign, Biden said that he would work at unifying both political sides to further promote national unity. 

Sindy Benavides, LULAC National Chief Executive Officer, commented on the organization’s participation in the event, 

“Unfortunately the Latino community, as well as many other minority and religious communities, have been victimized over and over again by deadly gun violence. As a civil rights and social justice organization, LULAC applauds the White House for bringing this issue to the forefront and acknowledging that the government needs to have a leading role in addressing domestic extremism in all forms. LULAC looks forward to working with the Biden

Administration, law enforcement, stakeholders at all levels of government and other community groups to find long-term solutions,” she said. 

Benavides herself said the origin of the event occured after the tragedy in Buffalo. LULAC along with the Anti-Defamation League, the National Action Network, along with other advocacy organizations pushed the Biden Administration to do more on combating that kind of extremist violence in the U.S. 

“As civil rights organizations, social justice organizations, we fight every day against this, and we wanted to make sure to acknowledge that government needs to have a leading role in addressing right-wing extremism,” Benavides said. 

Benavides said Biden holding the summit would help galvanize the country to address the threats of hate-inspired violence but also said she hoped for “long-term solutions” to emerge from the summit. 

“What’s important to us is addressing mental health, gun control reform, addressing misinformation, disinformation and malinformation—-We want policy makers to focus on common sense solutions so we don’t see this type of violence in our communities. And we want to see the implementation of policies that reduce violence,” she said. 

In a statement from Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre also offered an overview of the summit.  

“The United We Stand Summit will bring together heroes from across America who are leading historic work in their communities to build bridges and address hate and division, including survivors of hate-fueled violence,” she said.