It is so gratifying to be kind to folks who hate you. Your initial response to aggression is to be aggressive back, but to respond with kindness and understanding offers a much longer term reward. Not as instantly gratifying as a violent response would offer, but so much stronger, and so much deeper. Turn the other cheek.
In addendum, a quote from James Baldwin that I believe is complementary to this notion:
"You cannot lynch me and keep me in ghettos without becoming something monstrous yourselves. And furthermore, you give me a terrifying advantage: you never had to look at me; I had to look at you. I know more about you than you know about me. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."