The National Association of Attorneys General (“NAAG”) held its Presidential Summit in Washington D.C. on September 30 and October 1, 2021. Entitled “Taking the Politics Out of Hate”, the Summit was organized and hosted by the D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine. A bipartisan group of attorneys general from Nevada, Hawaii, Ohio, the Virgin Islands, Tennessee, South Dakota, Delaware, Idaho, Guam, Rhode Island, Vermont, Iowa and Connecticut attended and participated in the programming which was focused on countering hate and hate-related violence nationwide. Cozen O’Connor State Attorney General Co-Chair Lori Kalani attended along with Members Mira Baylson and Paul Connell.
The two-day event set the stage for critical conversations in America around issues like the Tulsa Race Massacre, the prosecution of the 1963 Baptist Street Church Bombing, and best practices for law enforcement to counter hate-related violence. The panels were composed with care and included people from different backgrounds including historians, chiefs of police, former United States Senators and of course, attorneys general. The second day of the program was held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and concluded with an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the museum. It was a compelling event for all who attended and demonstrated the unstinting commitment of AGs to countering hate in our communities and our country.