I just had the opportunity to read the book Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I recommend it as an excellent book to encourage thinking about racism. Based on my research into hate music and hate groups, I found the book to be authentic, well researched, and well crafted. It is fiction, but has some basis in real life.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has declared October, 2023 as "Hate Crimes Awareness Month." They are providing resources on their website. To contribute to their efforts, I will be giving presentations on October 26 and 27 at the University of Iowa. I will be talking specifically about my recent book, Music of Hate, Music for Healing - Paired Stories from the Hate Music Industry and the Profession of Music Therapy. I will be giving a similar presentation, via Zoom, at the State University of New York/New Paltz, next month on November 17. I am available for additional presentations. Let me know if you are interested: [email protected]

My research into hate music indicates that young males are the most involved with hate music. However, we know that women are also involved. I recently read, and can recommend, a new book written from a female perspective. It is the story of a young woman being recruited into a hate group. She experiences violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, and life on the streets. The book also tells the story of her mother, and how she never gives up on her daughter.
Walking Away from Hate: Our Journey through Extremism Paperback – April 9, 2021 by  Jeanette Manning  (Author), Lauren Manning  (Author)
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#Music of Hate, Music for Healing #Life After Hate #ADL #speaker #presenter #American Music Therapy Association #Southern Poverty Law Center

On the fourth of July we had another mass shooting in the US, in Highland Park, Illinois. 306 mass shootings so far this year. Given my interest in hate music, I always check internet sources to see if the shooter(s) have any involvements with music. Here's what I found about yesterday's shooter:
"Robert Crimo III has been detained by authorities, and now we've learned that under the name Awake the Rapper, he had been uploading very disturbing music videos to Youtube including a crude animation showing a heavily armed shooter being killed by police.
The majority of Crimo's social media pages and several of his videos contain a symbol that is similar to the one used by the far-right Finnish group Suomen Sisu. Crimo does not, however, appear to make any mention of the national organization in his postings.
An animated cartoon called "Toy Solider" opens with a student texting in class as Crimo can be heard rapping, "fuck this world." Images of a heavily armed shooter entering a school and opening fire are cut between scenes of him battling police outside. The shooter is seen lying in a pool of blood in the final scene.
Source: US News
​#Music of Hate, Music for Healing #Life After Hate #ADL #speaker #presenter #American Music Therapy Association

Here's another recent headline, from yesterday, documenting the use of music to spread violent hate in the world. Let's use music in more positive ways. Spread peace and love.

The Oregon Music Therapy Social Justice book club is reading the book Our Bodies, Their Battlefield, which tells stories of how women are treated during times of war and genocide. We discovered some videos of how women are using music to recover from their traumas.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/womens-choir-sings-amid-nigerian-violence/story?id=23655540
 
https://youtu.be/0asbz-TIb5k 

#Ted Ficken, Author #Music Therapists for Social Justice #ADL #SPLC #AMTA #Speaker #Presenter #Life After Hate

If you are looking for an unusual, but timely Christmas gift idea, please consider my new book, Music of Hate, Music for Healing - Paired Stories from the Hate Music Industry and the Profession of Music Therapy. The book shares information about the dangers of music that is used to spread hate in the world, next to stories of inspirational music therapists who use music to help and to heal. The book is a good tool to open up discussion of issues such as systemic racism, discrimination, social injustice, extremist radicalization, and other pressing issues in our environment. Readers will find the book informative, thought provoking, and illustrative of both negative and positive uses of music. No matter what music you prefer, this book will give you some new info to consider.