Victim Of Viral Hate Crime Incident To Speak At Plainfield East

PLAINFIELD, IL — A man who was the victim of a racially motivated attack that made national headlines will give a motivational speech at Plainfield East High School. Ernest Crim, who is a teacher at Joliet Central High School, will give a motivational speech Thursday about his life and handling adversity.

Crim and his wife were the recipients of a racist tirade and attack at a 2016 margarita fest in Chicago. The couple were playing a game of bean bags at the fest when a Midlothian woman began calling the husband-and-wife duo the n-word.

Crim began recording the tirade, but the woman knocked his phone out of his hand and spit on his wife, according to news reports. The woman was charged with a hate crime and was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted on a lesser charge stemming from the incident. (Video of the incident can be found here. Warning: graphic language.)

A social studies teacher at Joliet Central, Crim is an outspoken Joliet resident. He earlier this year ran as a write-in candidate for Joliet City Council.

Last year, members of the Plainfield East High School Black Student Association club heard Crim speak at Joliet Junior College. Moved by his life's story, the students asked Crim to visit their school this year, District 202 said in a press release.

"A lot of times high school boys are happy to get out of school for a day but are not always motivated by a speaker," Marie McMenamin, the Black Student Association club's sponsor, said in a statement. "Ernest Crim is a great speaker who motivated them."

Crim will talk about his life experiences that prepared him to respond logically, rather than emotional, when he and his wife were the targets of the verbal tirade.

Plainfield East will host Crim at 5 p.m. Thursday in an event that is free for students. Note that strong language made be used in the speech.