Next Wednesday, the Unites States Senate Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on hate crimes in Washington, D.C. The meeting will be chaired by US Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has a history of supporting the civil rights of religious minorities in this country.

The hearing will bring to the national stage a discussion about domestic hate groups in this country. From the Sikh Coalition:

(New York, New York) September 12, 2012 – In the wake of the tragic, hate-motivated shootings in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a United States Senate Subcommittee announced today that it will hold a hearing on threats posed by extremist hate groups in the United States. Today’s announcement was motivated in part by a request from a diverse group of more than 150 organizations, led by the Sikh Coalition, that the Senate hold hearings on hate crimes and domestic extremism.

The hearing, entitled “Hate Crimes & the Threat of Domestic Extremism,” will be held before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, chaired by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226, Washington, DC  starting at 2:30 p.m.

It is reported that a family member of one of the victims of the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Gurdwara shooting will testify at the hearing.

The hearing is open to the public, and Sikhs who will be in the Washington, D.C., area are encouraged to attend. You should confirm your attendance by visiting the Sikh Coalition website. The hearing will also be broadcast online at the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary website.