Led By Kolt Bloxson ’06, Holy Cross to Join City’s ‘No Place for Hate’ Initiative

WORCESTER, Mass. – City officials will join Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross, to formally announce the College’s partnership with the City of Worcester’s "No Place for Hate" campaign on March 22 at 4 p.m. in the College’s Rehm Library. The event, free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception.

Titled "Hate: Not Here!" the anti-bias initiative will promote individual and collective responsibility for building campus community. Congressman James P. McGovern, who represents Massachusetts’ Third Congressional District and is a champion of human rights, will deliver the keynote address. Mayor Timothy P. Murray will also speak.

"The strength of our city flows from the diversity of its people and the respect we have for each other," Murray said. "We must always be vigilant to protect that strength, through efforts like the ‘Hate: Not Here!’ program. So I’m very pleased that Holy Cross is partnering with the city on this most important initiative."

Holy Cross senior Kolt Bloxson, of Fitchburg, is the driving force behind the partnership. A classics and philosophy double major, she is a member of the women’s ice hockey team and director of diversity for the Student Government Association. She worked as a Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) intern last summer with Frances R. Manocchio, the city’s director of human rights. Manocchio, who helped construct the city’s campaign, will also be in attendance. SPUD is a community service organization sponsored by the Chaplains’ Office.

"I saw the city’s program and I thought this is something that not only benefits the entire Worcester community, but as part of the community, Holy Cross could support this effort," she said. "Since I’ve been a freshman I’ve seen different things on campus — rallies, vigils, different demands for diversity discussions — but they’ve all been separate ideas, so I thought we could give it one unified, proactive push."

Worcester’s "No Place for Hate" initiative is a program developed by the national Anti-Defamation League "to organize communities to work together and develop projects that enhance the appreciation of diversity and foster harmony amongst diverse groups."

The College has been sponsoring events that support the mission of the "Hate: Not Here!" campaign since last semester, including a discussion following the movie Crash, which recently received the Academy Award for best picture. Future events, such as lectures, retreats and an essay contest are being planned to carry out the program’s objective. A literacy program involving students from elementary schools in the South Worcester neighborhood is also being planned.