FROM the 1880s to the 1960s, at least 4,700 men and women were lynched in this country. The noose remains a terrifying symbol, and continues to be used by racists to intimidate African-Americans (who made up more than 70 percent of lynching victims).
and
And the number of hate groups, according to the annual count by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has shot up 40 percent in recent years, from 602 groups in 2000 to 844 in 2006.
Read and see Op-Chart: The Geography of Hate
by MARK POTOK, LUKE VISCONTI, BARBARA FRANKEL and NIGEL HOLMES – The New York Times – Opinion – November 25, 2007