The Los Angeles Post

LA vs Hate Presents Summer of Solidarity, a Celebration of Los Angeles County’s Cultural Diversity

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In Recognition of World Cultural Diversity Day, LA vs Hate Announces

Summer of Solidarity, A Series of Events That Will Address Rise in Hate Violence By Promoting Unity While Uplifting the Diverse Communities and Cultures of LA

 

LOS ANGELES – May 21, 2023 – Today, LA vs Hate announced a summer-long celebration of Los Angeles County’s cultural diversity, called LA vs Hate: Summer of Solidarity. Through partnerships with community-based organizations, LA vs Hate’s festivities will uplift and celebrate cultural moments and traditions – all to showcase that unity is stronger than hate. LA vs Hate is a system that partners with organizations across all five County districts in efforts to end hate, and this new campaign of events will utilize culture, dialogue and connection to address the root issues of hate and division. The Summer of Solidarity will include monthly art-led and community-centered events that will run throughout the county all summer long.

 

“We are thrilled to announce LA vs Hate: Summer of Solidarity, in part because this day is also a global celebration of culture – it’s UNESCO’s World Cultural Diversity Day for Dialogue and Development,” said Robin Toma, Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations. “We chose to start Summer of Solidarity on  this day as both campaigns seek to highlight not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the significant role that intercultural dialogue, community connection and the arts play in creating peace and safety in our neighborhoods. LA vs Hate has continually placed the arts and culture as an important focal point of their work, emphasizing the power of art to address unity and division, trauma and healing, and peace and hate.”

 

The campaign kicked off earlier this month, as LA vs Hate marked Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month by celebrating at LA Galaxy’s home team game at Dignity Health Sports Park. In collaboration with AAPI Equity Alliance and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, LA vs Hate was the match’s official community partner. The organizations conducted outreach to fans at the pre-game SoccerFest, engaging with the community around LA vs Hate’s mission to end hate as well as distributing posters, shirts, and free resources.

 

Now through September, LA vs Hate will unveil monthly murals in all five county districts that celebrate each county’s cultural diversity. In the creation of each mural, LA vs Hate and its partners collaborated closely with each district, involving community-representing artists, selecting anchoring locations, and hosting public workshops to collectively determine the desired content and themes. Each mural unveiling throughout the summer will celebrate each community’s respective rich cultures and histories, featuring dance, music and food, all bringing diverse people together through the unifying power of art. These events will also serve as educational moments to uplift the resources that LA vs Hate provides to the public, including the ability to call 211LA to report hate and receive resources to heal from hate.

 

May is also Jewish American Heritage Month, and one of the first events will celebrate the Jewish Community. In partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federation, LA vs Hate has commissioned a mural in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood by Cloe Hakakian, an Iranian-Jewish muralist and native Angeleno. The mural is set to be unveiled on Sunday, June 4th at 3PM at The Mark at 9320 W Pico Blvd.

 

The Summer of Solidarity is also partnering with LA County Parks, LA County Libraries and LA County Beaches & Harbors to produce events for the public. The following are just a sampling of events that will celebrate different communities across the county, with more to be announced soon:

  • Asian Youth Center AAPI Heritage Month Celebration at Blossom Market Hall | May 25th – 5:30PM – 6:45PM

  • Hate Crime Clinic at Heritage United Methodist Church | June 3rd – 10AM – 1PM

  • Juneteenth Celebration & Resource Fair at Ciclavia South LA | June 18th – 9AM – 4PM

  • LGBTQ Mural unveiling at Bixby Park, Long Beach | August 5th at 10am

 

The campaign seeks to unite communities across the County’s districts, not only through in-person events, but through community outreach and empowerment. LA vs Hate has created an online hub for Summer of Solidarity that details the calendar of events, as well as sharing different ways for individuals to promote solidarity and cultural appreciation in their communities, such as organizing a service day, hosting a community potluck, setting up a panel on social justice and anti-racism. The online hub also provides communities with a variety of digital content and tools for them to organize their own events and to share messages of solidarity, cultural appreciation and peace across their communities both online and in-real-life.

 

For more information, visit LAvsHate.org, and for the full calendar of events, visit lavshate.org/community-events-calendar.