While the nation is embroiled in a tense debate over Colin Kapernick and race issues, a study by The Southern Poverty Law Center has revealed that Texas has the largest number of "hate groups" with 84 known organizations in the state, with at least 4 of those groups located in the Central Texas area including Killeen, Gatesville, and Temple.

While Texas has the most hate groups in the United States, keep in mind Texas is the biggest state in the country. California has the second most hate groups as the second largest state in the U.S.

Courtesy of Southern Poverty Law Center
Courtesy of Southern Poverty Law Center
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Of the 892 active hate groups in the U.S., two Ku Klux Klan groups claim to be located in Killeen, one in Temple, and one in Gatesville. According to The SPLC, this list was compiled using hate group publications and websites, citizen and law enforcement reports, field sources and news reports.

The SPLC has documented an explosive rise in the number of hate groups since the turn of the century, driven in part by anger over Latino immigration and demographic projections showing that whites will no longer hold majority status in the country by around 2040. This rise accelerated in 2009, the year President Obama took office, before leveling off and beginning to decline in 2011. - Southern Poverty Law Center

While we've come a long way from the days of bigotry, segregation, slavery and so many other atrocities in human history, this list of active groups also shows that we still have a long way to go to fix racial problems in America. It's not an easy fix indeed, it's a tough conversation to have as has been proven by daily debates and battles on social media. But if we take some time to listen to one another and remove emotions from our conversations and discuss our disagreements with logic, we can begin to head down the road of bringing real equality to all Americans, regardless of race, sexual orientation or religion. The question is: What can YOU do in your daily life and interactions with others to end prejudice and hate?

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