Recently, the Center launched its campaign: "Terror On the Plant Floor - Hate Crimes in the Workplace". Through this initiative, the Center has taken on the arduous task of addressing the issue of hate crimes in Mississippi workplaces. "Terror on the Plant Floor," was established to provide rights-based training and legal representation for workers who work in racially hostile environments. The problem of "terror on the plant floor," is not a new one. In fact, recently in a New York Times article, it was reported that workplace hate crimes are becoming more and more widespread. Nooses and racist graffiti have been sited in plants across the U.S. and especially in the southern region.

Here in the state of Mississippi, African American workers are victims of racial harassment, verbal abuse, physical attacks and threats of racially motivated violence. These workers appeal to their employers only to find that there is a double standard when it comes to criminal behavior. White workers who commit hate crimes against black workers are rarely disciplined by their supervisors, despite the fact that supervisors have knowledge of their conduct. This creates a climate of fear and intimidation that forces many of those affected to suffer in silence.

African American workers are forced to use restrooms and work in places where walls are covered with racist slurs and threats of race-based violence. For example, at a factory in Flowood, Mississippi, African American employees complained to management about racist graffiti that covered the walls in the plant where they worked. Among the offensive slogans was this one: "We killed that nigger, Martin Luther King, and we'll kill you too, if you don't stop trying to organize a union here." This frightening epithet is a reminder that "days gone by," are not yet in the past. That is why the Center continues to provide support and representation for victims of hate crimes in the workplace. It is imperative that workers are informed of their rights under laws enacted to protect them from racially hostile work environments. For example, workers and their families must be provided with information about the newly enacted Felony Hate Crimes Bill. The enactment of this bill struck a blow against "terror on the plant floor." Armed with information as to their rights under this important legislation, workers can report these crimes to local law enforcement offices and federal agencies to insure prompt response and redress. However, it is not enough for workers to have the right to report such crimes. Victims of hate crimes in the workplace need the support of an organization like the Mississippi Workers' Center to assist them with monitoring hate crimes in their workplace and taking legal action against the culprits and the employers who maintain hostile work environments. The advocacy, education and organizing components of the Center's work, provide aggrieved workers with the assistance needed to transform racially hostile workplaces into ones free of terror or the threat of terror.

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