Champaign, IL – More than 200 Illinois residents, human rights professionals, and community leaders gathered Monday, Oct. 21, for the 2025 Illinois Together Against Hate: Human Rights in Action Conference—a statewide event dedicated to confronting hate and discrimination across communities.
Hosted in partnership by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes (CDHC), and the City of Champaign’s Equity & Engagement Department, the conference offered workshops, discussions, and strategies to combat bias and build inclusion.
Keynote speaker Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, founder of the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University, praised Illinois’ leadership in the national effort to counter hate. “This event comes at exactly the right time,” she said. “Illinois is at the forefront of state efforts to prevent hate and the violence that comes from it.”
IDHR Director Jim Bennett emphasized the urgency of statewide collaboration. “We are taking practical steps to make all Illinoisans safer,” he said. “We will lead by example, showing America and the world that there is another way forward—one that honors our shared humanity.”
The Help Stop Hate initiative, launched in 2024, continues to serve as a confidential lifeline for victims and witnesses of hate incidents. Illinois residents can report online anytime at ILStopHate.org or call (877) 458-HATE (4283) between noon and 9 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday. Reports are accepted in seven languages, with translation support available.
Officials encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences hate-based acts to come forward to strengthen data, prevention, and community support efforts statewide.
