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Tue, Feb

California anti-hate hotline responded to over 1,000 reported acts of hate

California Black Media’s Executive Director Regina Wilson speaks at the Ca vs Hate press conference.

Health

Anti-Black bias was by far the most cited reason for reports related to race and ethnicity.  

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This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with 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.
 

By Blake Carter

The California anti-hate hotline was launched a year ago as a part of the Ca vs. Hate initiative, which was created in response to a nationwide increase in hate crimes.  The California Civil Rights Department alongside state and community partners, such as the California Black Media, released new data highlighting the impact of Ca vs. Hate.  

In the first year the program has been able to directly support people in response to more than 1,000 reports of hate.  There were more than 2,000 contacts from California residents who were seeking assistance. Four out of six people asked for follow up care, and people were directed to legal services, financial services, and mental health services.

“When our nation was confronted by an alarming increase in reported acts of hate, we in California did not just sit back and hope that it would get better,” said Kevin Kish, director of the California Civil Rights Department.  “With the support and commitment of Governor (Gavin) Newsom and the state legislator, we came together and we launched an array of nation-leading programs to ensure that all of our communities feel safe, that they feel protected, and that we live in a California for all.”

The most common reasons why people called the anti-hate hotline were for discriminatory treatment.  Most of the incidents happened at or near a person’s home, followed by the workplace and public facilities.  

An analysis of the report shows that race and ethnicity was the most cited bias motivation with 35.1 percent of the reports.  Gender identity was second with 15.4 percent and sexual orientation at 10.8 percent.  Within race and ethnicity reports, anti-Black bias was by far the highest with 26.8 percent of the reports, compared to 15.4 percent for anti-Latino bias and 14.3 percent for anti-Asian bias.

Because of the higher percentage of anti-Black bias reports, the partnership with the California Black Media is very important.  The group supports more than 30 independent Black-owned news outlets, and grant money has allowed these media outlets to produce impactful content state wide on the Ca vs. Hate initiative.

“Our grant has allowed us to write stories to enable our media partners to inform communities about the various ethnic communities and mitigate hate incidents just because we get to learn about each other,” said Regina Wilson, California Black Media’s executive director.

Through this grant, the Los Angeles Standard Newspaper has produced anti-hate articles for the CA vs Hate initiative.  The Standard published an article on LA Commons in Leimert Park, which combats anti-Blackness through art, and another article on the Dream Centers at Inglewood High School and Morningside High School, which provides Black students with a safe space on campus to do their school work, socialize, and to avoid bullying and harassment.

The CA vs. Hate hotline is a non-emergency line that is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Reports can be made anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE or 833-866-4283.  Reports can also be made online by visiting www.cavshate.org.  For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.