NOTE: Faculty, if you are interviewed and quoted by news media, or if your work has been cited, and you have an online link to the article or video, please let us know. Contact us at news@csusb.edu.     

Last two years saw historic rise in hate crimes, CSUSB professor says
Bloomberg Businessweek
March 17, 2022

The good news: Diversity in the boardroom has ticked up, Congress is more inclusive, and, if you’re at a newsstand, you’re more likely to see a non-White cover model on an international fashion magazine. But on big issues, things haven’t improved much, or they’ve gotten worse. An example: Hate crimes overall have gone up, according to research by CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

“The last two years are historic with regard to hate crimes. And remember, there are big problems and limitations with the data. Victims don’t report, or police misclassify them,” said center director, Brian Levin.

Read the complete article at “A report card on race: How far we've come, how far we have to go.”

Schwarzenegger’s video to the Russian people is a teaching tool for CSUSB professor
Los Angeles Times
March 17, 2022

In a column by Anita Chabria, Brian Levin, head of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, commented on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute video aimed at the people of Russia expressing his respect for them while eviscerating Valdimir Putin’s state-controlled version of the invasion of Ukraine. By noon, it had been viewed nearly 6 million times on Twitter and 400,000 times on Telegram, a platform still available inside Russia.

Schwarzenegger “just spews out sincerity,” Levin said. Wrote Chabria, “That’s significant because in what Levin describes as ‘catalytic moments,’ like say, the possible build up to World War III, people go searching for truth, but often settle for what feels best. Schwarzenegger has a credibility and love inside Russia, especially with the older generation that is more inclined to believe state news, that ‘transcends nationhood’ and could ‘move the needle,’ said Levin.

“‘People left to their own devices will oftentimes yield at times of fear, anger, stress and peer validation to things that intoxicate against the fear, no matter how conflictual or wrong it may be,’ says Levin. But this video, ‘will speak throughout Russia.’ ...

“Even if it’s just a few at a time, democracy needs people to come back to fact and reason — especially with an election on the horizon. That is why ‘Schwarzenegger is so important,’ said Levin, who plans on using the latest video as a teaching tool. ‘I just want to give him a hug.’”

Read the complete article at “Column: Schwarzenegger attacks Putin’s lies about Ukraine. It’s a sign of hope for the truth.”

These news clips and others may be viewed at “In the Headlines.”