A new national program dedicated to stemming extremist and political violence has made its home at American University. The Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at AU announced a joint effort with Bedrock. Bedrock is a partnership of 67 national organizations working to prevent hate-fueled and political violence – ranging from Arab American and Jewish to LGBTQ and Evangelical to quasi-governmental and expert groups. Bedrock partners work across differences to create a unified approach to address violence that targets marginalized communities, public officials, and more. Bedrock informs, convenes, and connects these partner organizations to facilitate collective action among otherwise narrow efforts, creating national unity and a shared approach to “what works.”    

Bedrock’s approach will be bolstered with the expertise and audience reach already possible within the PERIL applied research lab. PERIL has produced research, programs, and engagement across both local communities and national coalitions to advance evidence-informed models to address hate-fueled and political violence; that work can be supercharged when paired with these leading national partners.    

This unique fusion of academic expertise and collaborative programs has been spurred by a sharp decline in federal funding for violence-prevention initiatives, combined with an increase in politically-motivated attacks on state and local officials and marginalized communities.  

“Hate-fueled and political violence are a public health problem requiring a whole-of-society solution,” said Bill Braniff, executive director of PERIL. “Aligning PERIL's evidence-based resources and our Community Advisory, Resource and Education (CARE) model in locations across the country with Bedrock Partners operating in those locations will help foster a broad prevention ecosystem that supports democracy, human rights and civil liberties, combats hate and bolsters targeted violence prevention efforts. We are honored to welcome Bedrock into the PERIL family.”   

Bedrock was launched following the 2022 racially motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The initiative was co-founded by Ryan Greer and former heads of the White House Domestic Policy Council from both parties to bridge divides among organizations working to combat these types of threats.   

Founded in 2020 by Professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss of AU’s School of Public Affairs and Baker School of Education, PERIL is an applied research center that utilizes public health approaches to design, test, and scale-up evidence-based tools and strategies to reduce the threat of extremist violence and related harms. The lab and its resources aim to address online and offline risk factors, and to support individuals and communities with the knowledge, willingness, and confidence to prevent the onset of hateful and political conspiracies before they turn violent.   

“An ecosystem of otherwise strange bedfellows has put aside differences in recognition of the incredibly high rates of hate-fueled and political violence and are working together,” said Ryan Greer, inaugural President and now Chair of Bedrock. “We’ve helped inform, connect, and convene stakeholders who implement prevention programs, communicate to de-escalate tensions, and advocate for policy solutions. Now those partner organizations face greater risks and greater demand for their work. Marginalized communities, public servants, and others under threat need our collaboration now more than ever – there is no other cavalry coming, so we ourselves need to lead to advance the safety of communities.”   Mr. Greer now holds the title of Chief Strategy Officer at PERIL.