Stop the Hate

CALIFORNIA IS FOR EVERYONE

Everyone belongs in this state we all call home. But sadly, Californians are facing hostility, whether it’s the color of their skin, the choice of their faith, or how they choose to love. 

California made a historic investment in 2021 to protect and heal communities from the rise in hate. Administered through the California Department of Social Services, the Stop the Hate program empowers 173 community-based organizations serving Asian, Black, disabled, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and Pacific Islander communities. 

The Stop the Hate network, supported by five regional leads, aims to foster healthy and safe neighborhoods throughout California. As the Los Angeles County Regional Lead, AAPI Equity Alliance supports 42 partners on the grounds serving survivors of hate. 

STOP THE HATE IN ACTION

From engaging in difficult conversations on race with youth, to providing mental health counseling after a hate incident, our Stop the Hate partners meet Angelenos where they’re at, in the languages they speak and with culturally-relevant resources they trust.

The Stop the Hate program supports organizations in providing direct, prevention, and intervention services for Californians:

  • Mental and complementary health services 
  • Wellness and community healing 
  • Legal services 
  • Navigation, case management, and referrals
  • Arts and cultural work 
  • Youth development 
  • Senior safety and escort programs 
  • Safety planning, training 
  • Cross-racial alliance work
  • Outreach 
  • Training 
  • Restorative Justice 
  • Coordination with local government and institutional partners 
  • Coordinated regional rapid response

COMMUNITY VOICES

When the wildfires broke out across Los Angeles, a majority Thai-speaking senior housing building was out of power and did not have access to food, flashlights, oxygen tanks and medications. Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC) and Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) jumped into action, tapping into the Stop the Hate network for rapid support. 15 local community leaders showed up with 300 donated meals from Thai restaurants and over 20 emergency kits. The seniors felt immense relief and appreciation for getting food they felt culturally connected to, and for not being left behind during this emergency.

An undocumented transgender woman was being harassed by her landlord’s relative, constantly misgendered and threatened with violence and deportation. St. John’s Community Health relocated her to safety and provided mental health support. She said she finally has “paz” (peace) when she comes home and does not need to look over her shoulder anymore.

45 elementary students attended a racial tolerance workshop, hosted by Bridge Builders Foundation, fostering empathy, understanding, and respect for Black and Brown students. The workshop helped students feel empowered to challenge biases, leading to a shift in behavior and attitudes for a more harmonious school environment. School administrators recognized the workshop’s effectiveness and decided to implement the curriculum school-wide, aiming to cultivate a culture of acceptance and unity for all students.

A community member endured racial and ethnic slurs by her direct supervisors and colleagues and felt belittled every time she went to work. After four months of support from Korean American Family Services (KFAM), she not only began healing but also grew resilient and spoke out against the hateful discrimination and unconscious bias — demanding more accountability in the workplace.

A Vietnamese American woman witnessed an elderly Chinese man being brutally assaulted in Chinatown. When she tried to intervene, the perpetrator chased her down the street, yelling threats of violence. Although the LAPD came, they resisted de-escalating the situation and did not take a statement from her. Through Peace (World Mission University) guided her through reporting a hate crime – from finding the elderly man and offering him further assistance, to encouraging her to share her own story at Hate Crime Workshops. They also pushed for the officers to receive retraining as they did not properly respond to the situation.

A student carved harmful words on a school laptop directed towards the race of one of the teachers. Multiple students used that laptop throughout the year and no one said a word. The affected teacher was upset at the fact that no one spoke up. 211 LA ran a campaign “Words Matter. Choose Wisely”, working with students to create posters, videos, and social graphics. After, they overheard students jokingly pointing to their friends saying, “See, words matter. Stop bullying me.”

National Asian Pacific American Families Allied for Substance Awareness and Harm Reduction (NAPAFASA)’s multigenerational arts festival aimed to spark healing and joy after the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting stole eleven lives, mostly seniors, at a local dance studio. An elder joined a dance workshop at the festival amidst the uncertainty and shared that while she had spent a majority of her life working and caring for others, this time around, she’d like to work on her heart.

A Filipino couple sought justice against their assailant but encountered barriers, such as language access, to do so. Filipino Migrant Center helped them navigate through complicated government systems and applications and witnessed their shift from victims to survivors. “Whenever there are others in distress, we will be there to support them too. Just like others (FMC) have done for us”.

A non-binary student faced bullying and discrimination on campus and at home and could not comfortably pursue their educational career. Helpline Youth Counseling and 211 LA worked together to find, apply and secure a $40,000 scholarship for the student. The scholarship allows the student to comfortably pursue their educational career without feeling the need to hide their true identity.

A non-binary Filipino student endured racism, classism, and lack of access to resources at their graduate school. This led to financial distress, homelessness/displacement, and mental health issues. Little Tokyo Service Center provided free 1:1 therapy and resources for continued healing, such as free subscriptions to the Calm app and stipends for other support groups. The student said, if it weren’t for LTSC, they would have quit their graduate program and given up on their professional goals due to how much harm these hateful circumstances caused them. 

OUR HISTORY

In response to the visible rise in anti-Asian hate, both locally and nationally, the California State Legislature passed the historic $165.5 million Asian Pacific Islander (API) Equity Budget , sponsored by the AAPI Legislative Caucus, to help individuals and communities affected by hate. Supported by the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, and signed into law in 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom, the API Equity Budget allocated $110 million to support initiatives such as victim services, education, and outreach in the face of hate.  

In August 2023, California invested an additional $40 million to expand the program to serve an expanded set of communities affected by hate.

➡️ @StoptheHateLA

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