Countering Extremism Directive (CED)
What was once considered extremist sentiment found only at the fringes of society have reached the mainstream within the United States. To change hearts and minds, you first must learn to access them.
Implicit Bias Project – Countering Extremism Directive (IBP-CED):
This year Mindbridge launched a new component of the Implicit Bias Project: the Countering Extremist Directive (IBP-CED). This directive seeks to utilize the literature described below in a series of intervention efforts designed for the state of Maine. As this project is still in development, we offer a brief overview of its central components
Hate groups maintain an active presence within the state of Maine. According to the 2021 annual report issued by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), 4 known hate groups publicly practice within the state, 3 of which are active state-wide. However, a common misconception when thinking about growing extremism within the United States is that extremism or the promotion of extremist sentiments is due to a few “bad guys.”
This position conceptually isolates the presence of extremism to a select few individuals, negating the way in which extremist sentiment becomes diffused within our communities and avoiding responsibility for contending with this growing threat. What was once considered extremist sentiment found only at the fringes of society have reached the mainstream within the United States, including within the state of Maine.