The Beatles, in the song “I Am the Walrus,” sang, “I am he as you are he as you are me/And we are all together.”

This message of unity and being one was expressed during the Hate has No Home in Sullivan County vigil in Callicoon on Sunday evening.

A small crowd turned out to hear speakers of various faiths talk about the connection between all people and the mission to expunge hatred towards one another.

“If you can subscribe to hate doesn't have a home in your backyard, then maybe we can bring that to other places and grow and make that stand throughout Sullivan County,” said Martin Colavito, Chair of the Human Rights Commission.

The non-partisan event was organized by the Human Rights Commission, Sullivan Allies Leading Together (SALT) and The Callicoon Business Association.

In 2018, hate crime violence against people (not property or society) reached a 16-year high, according to data from the FBI. There were 7,120 hate crimes reported in 2018 (the latest year for data).

Of those crimes, the motivation for race/ethnicity/ancestry bias was 59.6 percent, according to Department of Justice data. Of the known offenders, 53.6 percent were white.