Hate groups in the United States come in many different forms — white nationalist, anti-LGBTQ, skinheads, neo-confederates, etc. — but how many of them actually exist?
Well, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who has been fighting hate groups since 1971, there are over 1600 extremist groups and 940 hate groups currently operating in the United States
And if you’ve ever wanted to identify these groups yourself, then you’re in luck, because the Southern Poverty Law Center has created an online, interactive tool to do just that.
Here’s how to use it!
As always, feel free to explore this tool and other tools in our interactive tools section.
Using The Tool to Expose Hate Groups In The United States
Step 1: Open The Tool And Click On A State
Open the tool and click on any state. You’ll quickly see that several “dots” are highlighted. Click on any of the dots and you’ll be able to visualize the approximate location and identify of the group.
Step 2: Filter By Ideology
Click on the “filtered by ideology” tab on the left hand side. You’ll notice that 16 ideologies appear:
- ANTI-IMMIGRANT
- ANTI-LGBTQ
- ANTI-MUSLIM
- BLACK SEPARATIST
- CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
- GENERAL HATE
- HATE MUSIC
- HOLOCAUST DENIAL
- KU KLUX KLAN
- MALE SUPREMACY
- NEO-CONFEDERATE
- NEO-NAZI
- NEO-VOLKISCH
- RACIST SKINHEAD
- RADICAL TRADITIONAL CATHOLICISM
- WHITE NATIONALIST
Click on any of the ideologies to see where that specific ideology is most prevalent. For example, when we click on Ku Klux Klan, we can see that per capita, most KKK groups are in the Midwest and South.
Step 3: See Related Hatewatch
Click “Related Hatewatch” on the left hand side of the map and the tool will pull up several articles under the heading “This Week In Hate.” Read through the articles to learn more.
Check Out The Extremist Files Too
If you want to explore more on the SPLC’s website, then make sure to check out their Extremist Files. Explore histories, core beliefs, and overall profiles of extremist groups and individuals across the country.
And just for some context, check out Augustus Sol Invictus (pictured below) who believes that, “a second Civil War is necessary to preserve “Western civilization.” He also drinks goat blood.
