In the last century or so we’ve focused a great deal on equal opportunity. Sometimes in the conversation we tend to forget women, hence the rise of feminism. Recently I ran across an article that reminded me yet again that equal means just that — equality in all phases of life, only in this instance it includes hate crimes. The article is entitled “Inside the Lives of White Supremacist Women and Why Their Numbers Are Growing” by Kate Storey.
This is another subject I’ve never really thought about, but the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks hate groups, has seen a 48% increase in membership over the last 15 years, and 
estimates there are 892 hate groups in the U.S. today. Further, they are actively recruiting women. In Storey’s article, Kathleen Blee, University of Pittsburgh sociology professor and author of Inside Organized Racism: Women in the Hate Movement, said “They’re interested in women because they see them as less likely to attract police attention and less likely to be police informers. Some of the leaders tell me if you recruit women, you get their kids and husbands, too.” The good news is the article also includes examples of women who were able to break away.
This is one area where equal opportunity is not a worthy goal.
To read the article and see where hate groups in the U.S. are concentrated, visit http://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a24163/white-supremacist-women/ . The photo came from the website.