These 10 photos show how faith leaders are responding to Baltimore riots

When a white nationalist leader sparked an antisemitic hate campaign in his vacation community to settle a personal grievance, the community rose up in unison to confront the hate and render it toothless. Everyone from neighbors to the governor joined in the effort to counter disinformation and intimidation with alternative messages that telegraphed communal disapproval. A planned march by neo-Nazis was a flop and the leader of the planned attacks is now shunned. Other communities have contacted the leaders of the counteroffensive to get tips on protecting themselves from similar attacks.

A burst of creativity is helping Portland confront its racist histories. From murals appearing on boarded-up buildings, protest art on exhibit at art centers, and artists gathering downtown to display their work depicting clashes between protestors and federal troops, new opportunities have been created for the city's Black artists. Community groups are also connecting artists with affordable housing resources and memorializing displaced Black communities using murals, photography, and oral histories. While a good start, more work is needed to bring about structural changes.

A very special 15-person book club in Battle Creek, Michigan is using the book club format to discuss hard topics like race. The conversations steer profound, intimate, and personal, and many members testify to how much it has changed them. In addition to having read 68 books, the group also performs social justice work such as donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, rolling bandages for doctors in the DRC, and donating food and goods to local pantries.

A small Mexican town called Pijijiapan is embracing the recent migrant crisis with open arms. When they heard that a caravan of migrants was passing through soon, the entire community pitched in to welcome them with fresh food, medicine, clothes, toys, and kindness. Residents say that they are motivated by the Catholic idea of charity and that they understand the circumstances that many migrants are fleeing.

After a raid in a Tennessee plant resulted in 97 immigrants being detained, and 130 American-born children affected, a town came together to help their immigrant neighbors. A church was converted into a crisis response center, professors organized a speaking event at the college, 1,000 attended a prayer vigil, and 300 marched in a protest downtown. “We love Morristown. We are here to send a message of love and unity.”

You can’t force people to make friends across ethnic lines, but you can invite them to at least meet each other. In the split town of Rotherham, the National Citizen Service program brings together 16- and 17-year-olds, some white and some with Pakistani heritage, to meet and discuss their differences openly. Participants say it’s a powerful experience.

After serious issues with excessive force and police discrimination reached a head in East Haven, Conn., major department overhauls that focused on more diverse hiring, de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention, and conflict resolution have led to much healthier law enforcement for the community. Their model offers hopeful lessons to Seattle and other cities whose police departments also have been required to adopt federally mandated reforms.

When anti-drag protesters appeared at a library storytelling event in Calgary, counter-protesters from the Fairy Garden Project showed up with pink angel wings to protect performers and attendees entering the event. The strategy follows a long tradition of counter-protest in LGBTQ2S+ communities.

The Stop AAPI Hate movement has increased the public’s awareness of the increase in hate crimes and prejudice as a result of COVID-19. The movement collects incident reports and uses the data to advocate for change. In addition to increasing awareness by ensuring that hate crimes did not go unnoticed, more people have participated in protests and become engaged with organizations working to stop anti-Asian racism. The movement has also fueled some policy wins, such as Congress’ approval of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act.

To encourage more Black people to explore outdoors, individuals and organizations in Colorado are working to address underlying barriers such as access to transportation and gear, as well as fear and concerns of safety. Despite the groups still encountering "frustrating" incidents with other outdoor recreationalists, the movement has spread to other states and steadily attracted a growing community of members.