L.A. County Officials Launch United Against Hate Week
Residents Urged to Reject Hate, Promote Inclusion
LOS ANGELES – Renowned leaders from diverse racial and cultural sectors of the community will gather to kick off the annual United Against Hate Week on Monday, November 14 at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
United Against Hate Week, which runs from November 13-19 is intended to urge local communities to reject hate and bigotry and promote inclusion through a unique, community-building blend of art, social media, and educational resources. The annual event is part of LA vs. Hate – a project of the LA County Commission on Human Relations.
The press conference, which will kick off at 9 a.m. at the Grand Park entrance of the Hall of Administration will feature a “Wishing Tree” art intervention that will be displayed as a tree hung with paper tags expressing County residents’ wishes for a hate-free Los Angeles County.
It will also include 10 speakers including Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Holly J. Mitchell and honorary co-chairs for United Against Hate Week Dr. Debra Duardo, Superintendent of Los Angeles County Office of Education and Maria S. Salinas, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
“With recent events reminding us that hate and prejudice in our County continue to be highly visible and hidden in private meetings, we need LA vs. Hate’s United Against Hate Week more than ever,” stated Robin Toma, Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations.
Toma noted that residents are called on this week to take action against hate by going to LAvsHate.org and using the toolkits, participating in one of the week’s events, and getting involved at the community level in light of the recent rise of anti-Semitism and hate speech.
“We need to turn acts of hate into changes in our own behaviors and in the practices, culture and systems around us, which perpetuate racism and prejudice in all its forms,” added Toma, who will release the annual 2021 Hate Crime Report next month.
“While I am proud of our innovative LA vs. Hate program, the soon-to-be-released 2021 Hate Crime Report will show that we have much more work to do,” said LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Holly J. Mitchell, Supervisor to the Second District. “We must have a shared commitment to address hatred and implicit bias every day, LA vs. Hate provides the tools and resources to help us do this. Our strength is in our diversity, hatred of any form will not be tolerated. We must ensure that Los Angeles County is truly a place where everyone can be who they are without fear.”
