Great Falls Rising presents: “HATE AND EXTREMISM IN MONTANA: What we as a community need to know to stand against HATE.” Tuesday, January 16th, Church of the Incarnation, 600 3rd Ave. North.
5:30 to 6:00 pm: Visit information tables on groups fighting Hate and Extremism.
6:00 pm: Panel of Experts: Ken Toole (Montana Human Rights Network founder), Travis McAdams, (Southern Poverty Law Center), Maggie Bornstein (former ACLU employee).
Panelists will present a brief history of Hate and Extremism in Montana and Current Hate and Extremism activities in the state and nation, as well as Montana State Legislature connections and recent bills that have promoted Hate and Extremism. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions. The hard-right movement mobilized Hate and Extremism from the mainstream to Main Street in recent years.
On January 6, 2021, the nation watched as our Capitol was attacked by extremist groups. Since that time, we have seen the antisemites, conspiracy theorists and white nationalists welcomed by government officials.
Great Falls and the State of Montana have seen the spread of hate literature in our communities. We are seeing hate and extremist groups everywhere: people’s homes, schools, doctors’ offices, libraries, bars, restaurants, churches and other community spaces. The fear of the “Great Replacement” is spreading throughout our city. Great Falls Rising feels strongly that our community needs to be informed about what is happening and who these groups are. Unfortunately, some of our elected officials have connections to these groups. Join us for a critical discussion on hate and extremism in Montana.
The public is invited. Please enter through the alley door on the south side of the church.
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Ken Toole is founder and former Co-Director of the Montana Human Rights Network, “Fight the Right” group monitoring, exposing, and organizing community responses to white supremacist and other far right groups in Montana. Ken served as a Montana State Senator and on the Montana Public Service Commission. Ken has served on numerous non-profit boards. He co-authored Season of Discontent-The Militia in Montana, Chronicle of Militia organizing in Montana. How the Wacky Rights Spreads its Ideas, What to do when the Militia Come to Town and Drumming up Resentment- The Anti-Indian Movement in Montana are some of the numerous articles written by Ken. Ken is a graduate of the University of Montana with a BA in Political Science. He is married and has three grown children. He resides in Cascade County.
Travis McAdam serves as a Senior Research Analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center where he oversees a team monitoring antigovernment groups across the country. Before coming to SPLC, he worked for the Montana Human Rights Network doing similar work. For more than 20 years, he has researched, written about, and helped communities respond to white nationalists, paramilitary militias, and other Hard Right extremists. McAdam is a nationally recognized expert on right-wing extremist movements, and his analysis and writings have been featured in national and international publications. In recognition of his efforts, the Gonzaga University Center for the Study of Hate presented him with its 2022 Eva Lassman “Take Action Against Hate” award. McAdam holds degrees in journalism and sociology from the University of Montana.
Raised on the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, Maggie Bornstein grew up in the shadow of political division and hyper polarization. Her hunger to understand this dynamic led her to the University of Montana. The confluence of her academic interests and community-based work led Maggie to study histories of oppression and resilience and the institutionalization of cultural attitudes within systems and public policy. Both as a student and upon her graduation in 2021, Maggie has worked at local and statewide organizations including Forward Montana, Montana Human Rights Network, YWCA of Missoula, Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, United Today, Stronger Tomorrow, and more. In 2022, she joined the ACLU of Montana staff as a lobbyist for the duration of 68th legislative session. There, she used her small town values of reciprocity, cooperation, and authenticity to advocate for Montanans’ constitutional rights and a Montana where all can thrive. Maggie is a resident of Helena, Montana and presently works at the Holter Museum of Art in the heart of downtown Helena.
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