Pictured: Maribel Marin, Executive Director, 211 LA (Left), Sharyn Chan, Muralist (Center), and Amy Latzer, Chief Operations Officer, 211 LA (Right).
On Monday, November 15, 2021, 211 LA County and the L.A. vs. Hate Coalition, led by the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) and the L.A. County Human Relations Commission, announced the L.A. vs Hate United Against Hate Week 2021, November 14-20. Through a unique, community-building blend of art, social media, and educational resources, the L.A. vs. Hate Coalition urges communities to reject hate and bigotry and promote inclusion throughout the week. The kick-off event for United Against Hate Week 2021 is an open virtual event, All Hands Against Hate, hosted by 211 LA as part of the preeminent social service resource hub’s 40th-anniversary commemoration and including Coalition and special guest speakers announcing United Against Hate Week themes and activities.
“Inclusion and equity are vital to building healthy, resilient communities that help each other out in times of need,” stated Maribel Marin, Executive Director, 211 LA. “United Against Hate Week provides cities the opportunity to build stronger connections that will lead to year-round engagement in L.A. County’s unique and diverse communities. At its core, that is what the work of 211 LA is all about. And as we celebrate 40 years of service, there is value in looking back on what we’ve achieved, but it’s even more important to look ahead and begin planning for the next 40 years of ensuring county residents can survive, thrive, and be empowered in encountering their own struggles or when facing down hate.”
“Our diversity has made L.A. County a global economic and cultural success,” said Otto Solórzano, Acting WDACS Director. “It’s more important than ever that we stand together, united against hate. United Against Hate Week is an important reminder that we cannot remain silent in the face of hate, but instead, we must act.”
“L.A. vs Hate United Against Hate Week may be more important than ever this year,” said Robin Toma, Executive Director of the Human Relations Commission. Cognizant of the fact that the Commission’s Annual Hate Crime Report announced a 20% increase in hate crimes in the County, Toma noted that “this campaign calls on everyone to do something, big or small, and become connected to the overwhelming numbers of us who are against hate and bigotry, and for love and embracing of the diversity in our County.”
“From November 14-20, United Against Hate Week will invite L.A. County residents to take action against hate by going to LAvsHate.org and using the toolkits, participating in an event, and getting involved at the community level to fight acts of hate,” stated Dr. Debra Duardo, the Superintendent of the L.A. County Office of Education. “All school districts will be alerted to this event’s goals of providing safe schools, inclusive classrooms, and alerting staff to the dangers of bullying and bias.”
The Executive Director of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, Maria Salinas, noted that recent studies illuminated the disparate impact hate crimes have on minority-owned businesses. “The Chamber has several initiatives to promote policies that strengthen small business, expand opportunities for higher education to develop a 21st Century workforce capable of competing in a global economy, and that offer cost-effective advances to promote economic growth and address climate change,” said Ms. Salinas. “United Against Hate Week helps to address all our signature policies, ensuring a safe, inclusive economic region for all.”
“Blue Shield of California Promise has a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and stands against racism of all forms,” said Sandra Rose, senior director of community & provider engagement of Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. “The County of Los Angeles’ L.A. vs. Hate program is bringing critical dialogue and resources to communities we serve while giving community members tools to develop resilience. We are proud to support the program’s bystander training, mass meditation, and art resiliency projects for local residents of all ages,” added Rose.
“Participating in United Against Hate Week is another way L.A. Care is working to advance health equity,” said James Kyle, MD, Chief of Equity and Quality Medical Director, L.A. Care Health Plan. “The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on health inequities in low-income communities of color, and it also exposed the ugly side of fear as hate incidents rose due to misplaced blame. United Against Hate Week shines a light on how we can change that dynamic. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to be as safe and healthy as possible.”
In response to the rise in hate, in 2018 the Board of Supervisors directed LACCHR to develop an initiative to prevent and respond to hate incidents in the County, which resulted in “L.A. vs Hate.” The initiative has three components: (1) a community-driven public engagement campaign to encourage residents and organizations to unite against and report acts of hate; (2) the first government hotline (via 211) for reporting acts of hate and providing assistance to hate victims; and (3) a network of community agencies that provide hate prevention and rapid response services. Since launching in June 2020, “L.A. vs Hate” content has been viewed over 468 million times and has been shared over 88 million times. Since September 2019, when L.A. vs. Hate and 211 began accepting calls to report hate, L.A. vs. Hate has received more than 1,400 reports of hate acts. The LA vs Hate Coalition includes civic leaders, educators, L.A. County departments, artists, health plans, immigrant rights groups, and more.
For more information, including shareable community-centric graphics ready-made for social media, please go to www.LAvsHate.org.
United Against Hate Week Coalition:
- Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations
- 211-LA County
- Antelope Valley Partners for Health
- Anti-Defamation League
- Arroyo West
- Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council
- Asian Youth Center
- Berkeley's Office of the Mayor
- Bienestar
- Blue Shield Promise Health Care Plan
- Brotherhood Crusade
- California Conference for Equality & Justice
- Chinatown Service Center
- City of Los Angeles Civil & Human Rights Department
- Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of LA
- Jane Gauthier, School of Criminal Justice & Criminalistics, California State University Los Angeles
- Hate Violence Prevention Partnership of LA
- Kaiser Permanente
- Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
- L.A. Care Health Plan
- LA County Internal Services Department
- LA County Library
- LA County Office of Education
- LA County Parks & Recreation Department
- LA County Quality & Productivity Commission
- LA Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- LGBT Center
- Muslim Public Affairs Council
- Not In Our Town
- Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
- San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, Inc.
- South Bay Cares
- South Bay Council of Governments
- Southern California Grantmakers
- Special Service for Groups, Inc.
- Taskforce PR, LLP
- UCLA Asian American Studies Center
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Western Justice Center
To watch a recording of the live stream event, click here.
About 211 LA County
211 LA (or 211 LA County) is the hub for community members and community organizations looking for all types of health, human, and social services in Los Angeles County. 211 LA has served Los Angeles County for 40 years, using industry-leading technology to provide critical services to Angelenos in need. The resource hub has always provided culturally competent and dynamic services attuned to the pulse of Los Angeles and leading the way to combat hate fits with the critical needs of today. 211 LA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose services are funded through partnerships with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, CEO, and Departments; with contracts with the State of California, LAHSA, SoCal Gas, Southern California Edison, AARP, and others; and with grants from foundations including the National Institute of Health (NIH).
About LAvsHate
L.A. vs Hate, which is administered by the County of Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations, provides three components: a marketing campaign to provide awareness of the dangers of hate and importance of reporting it; a network of agencies to provide assistance and prevention strategies to prevent hate and third, the ability to report acts of hate and bullying by calling 211 LA. At 211 LA, two case managers help residents who report bias and discrimination to access needed resources for healing from such experiences. Reports of hate are submitted to 211 LA, who connects these residents with local and culturally attuned organizations that can support them in the aftermath of hate including counseling and legal services.
