Hope LaFreniere is a second-year doctoral student studying security studies and terrorism in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She received her Master of Science in Security Studies in 2019 from Angelo State University and her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting and Electronic Media from West Texas A&M University in 2014. Her primary focus of research currently is group dynamics and extremism in the United States, and has diverse interests in international security, energy, and mass media.
The inaugural Eradicate Hate Summit was a truly impressive gathering of leaders dedicated to finding lasting and effective solutions to violent extremism. I was particularly moved by the prominence given to survivors and family members of victims of hate and violence throughout the event. Their stories and those of so many others must be at the center of what we do and why we do it.
