Los Angeles plans in-person and online events for United Against Hate Week

To combat hate and implicit biases and make communities feel safe and empowered, the City of Los Angeles, L.A. vs Hate and the California Civil Rights Department have organized their annual United Against Hate Week (UAHW). 

In L.A., UAHW will take place from September 21 through 27, 2024. The seven-day series is a call for action through local civic and online events to create awareness of the rise of hate and discrimination that has become a dangerous threat to safety and civility both locally and statewide. 

According to state and local leaders, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the week-long series against hate. Participants are encouraged to post signs, host events, share stories, attend rallies and connect with schools and neighborhood civic institutions to actively denounce hate, reject hate and bigotry and promote inclusion.

“Nothing is too small, because working united in each community is what will defeat hate in all communities,” as stated on the UAHW website. 

The City of L.A. began hosting and organizing UAHW for its residents in 2018 through LA vs Hate, a community-centered system designed to support all communities targeted for hate acts, led by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations. 

UAHW in L.A. will officially kick off with a press conference on September 20 at Watts Historic Train Station from 1 to2:30 p.m., where L.A. vs Hate along with its coalition partners Not in Our Town,California vs Hate and Stop the Hate will inform the public why this week of action is critical to protecting targeted groups and fostering inclusive communities, and how they can actively participate in the movement. 

Another event taking place this year as part of UAHW is the “Affirmation Station for LGBTQ+ Youth” session inside the Los Angeles LGBT Center. On September 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be a space for LGBTQ youth to feel affirmed and safe. The event will give attendees the opportunity to write supportive notes to LGBTQ+ youth, which will be featured on a mobile art installation. Affirmations will be available for queer and trans young people to take with them. The event will feature free shaved ice and fresh popcorn.

A second UAHW event, titled “Youth Mental Health First Aid Training,” will teach attendees ways of caring for one another in heightened times of racism and discrimination. The event is intended for parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens to learn how to help adolescenta ages 12 to18) who are experiencing  mental health or addiction challenges. 

The course aims to introduce common mental health challenges for youth, review typical adolescent development, and teach a five-step action plan for how to help young people experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD) and eating disorders. 

On Saturday, September 21, L.A. will also be hosting an event titled “Diwa Soundscape: An Energy-Infused Sound Journey” from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The HiFi Well-Being Center will host Lisa Gonsalves, a Reiki and sound bath practitioner of Nipa Hut Wellness. Gonsalves will provide a bridge for attendees to connect with wise elders and ancestors through these healing practices. The soundscape event is dedicated to nurturing wellness, peace and inner balance and harnessing these energies to create a haven of healing. 

United Against Hate Week originated in 2017 as a poster campaign in Bay Area cities in response to white supremacist rallies that took place in Berkeley, San Francisco and other communities. Today, UAHW has spread to about 90 organizations and cities across the country. 

When it comes to hate crimes, the latest data published last November by L.A. County’s Commission on Human Relations Hate Crime Report stated that Latinos are less likely to report crimes because of a distrust in law enforcement or concerns about immigration status.

According to the same report, the second-largest group of victims of racial hate crimes in 2022 were Latinos. Similar to the 2021 report, Latinos were targeted in 22% of racial hate crimes in L.A. County and anti-Latino crimes rose three percent from 117 to 121. In 73% of these crimes, anti-Mexican slurs were specifically employed. 

Reported crimes motivated by sexual orientation also rose for the third year in a row, increasing 20% from 143 in 2021 to 171 in 2022. This was the second-highest number of homophobic crimes reported in L.A. County in the searchable database.

Although hate crimes which took place in 2023 are still being accounted for, hate crimes in L.A. County rose to their highest level in 21 years in 2022, jumping 18% from the previous year. 

United Against Hate was also created by civic leaders in direct response to the sharp rise in expressions of hate in our communities.  The overall goal is to empower local residents to take action in their local communities and alter the course of this growing intolerance.

For the full list of events during UAHW, you can visit: https://www.unitedagainsthateweek.org/events-calendar.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.