Hate Crime Prevention

Hauppauge High School recently hosted the Town of Islip Anti-Bias Task Force Ambassador Program, which addresses issues of bias, prejudice, discrimination and bullying. “Hauppauge students were among the 100 high school students throughout Islip Town who are learning how to distinguish between reasonable opinions and irrational prejudice and how to identify evidence of biased thinking in their school/classroom and community through this program,” described Assistant Principal Joy Ferrara.

Joselo Lucero and Werner Reich were the keynote speakers for the program. Lucero’s path in life was forever altered on November 8, 2008, when his brother Marcelo Lucero, 37, was beaten and murdered by seven teenagers in downtown Patchogue, New York. The story of the crime and the defendants’ conviction brought national attention to the issue of hate crimes and the plight of immigrants on Long Island. What Lucero took away from the tragedy, and how he has chosen to dedicate his life, were the themes of his presentation on hate crime prevention and bullying.

Smithtown resident and Holocaust survivor Reich, 83, is a retired industrial engineer, a husband to his wife Eva of 55 years, a father of two and a grandfather of four. Reich uses his oppressive experience to talk to young people at schools and synagogues across Island. His message is clear: “if you see bullying and intolerance, you should not be a bystander, you should be one of the ‘J.U.S.T.’ (judge situation, understand problem, solve and take action) people and stand up and say something.”

The Anti-Bias Task Force's Ambassador Program also featured a presentation of an original play titled Religion Party by Hauppauge’s Stage the Change Players. Stage the Change was founded in 2012 through the Hauppauge High School Drama program after a staggering response to their original creation of The Anti-Bully Project. A series of student-written vignettes, the production was created to address important social issues to high school students, including: prejudice, bullying, peer pressure, healthy relationships and more.

Photo Captions

Hate crime prevention and anti-bullying advocate Joselo Lucero and Holocaust survivor Werner Reich keynoted the Town of Islip Anti-Bias Task Force Ambassador Program, which recently was held at Hauppauge High School.

The Anti-Bias Task Force's Ambassador Program featured a presentation of an original play titled Religion Party by Hauppauge’s Stage the Change Players.