By Cynthia Gibson
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — Communication between opposing groups could be the best method of resolving issues that lead to hate crimes, according to some of the panelists taking part in a virtual town hall meeting Oct. 3 sponsored by Suite Life SoCal, a lifestyle publication, and CA vs. Hate, in partnership with the Black Business Association and Community Briefing.
The United Against Hate Townhall brought panelists together to discuss the rising impact of hate and strategies to combat it. The virtual meeting was part of an ongoing campaign to discuss and dismantle hate crimes and incidents in California.
Suite Life SoCal publisher and Black Business Association President Sarah Harris moderated the online event. Harris said CA vs. Hate has partnered with media outlets to not only report statistics on hate crimes and incidents — which is critical for data gathering and funding purposes — but to tell stories that lead to a better understanding of victims and perpetrators.
“This is a major way of combating and helping to eradicate hate,” Harris said. “The more we can come together and communicate, the more that we are able to combat hate because communication also breeds information and knowledge, not ignorance.”
Activist Ben Caldwell gave his perspective on hate from a filmmaker’s perspective. According to Caldwell, the answer to hate is through the work of filmmakers like himself. In addition to entertainment, film can be a healing methodology. He spoke about a play he worked on that centered on the stories of unjustly incarcerated individuals using art to break barriers of hate.
The founder of Kaos Network in Leimert Park Village, where he trains the next generation in media, filmmaking, music and technology, Caldwell said that hate is now coming to the forefront because the country never acknowledged that Abraham Lincoln’s assassination rolled back rights the formerly enslaved gained through the Emancipation Proclamation, making the confederacy the true victor of the Civil War.
“The people who are hateful now are the same hateful people that I met at school when I first started school,” Caldwell said. “They threw rocks at me and called me the n-word. They’re the full grown adults now. These guys have been holding this hate in their hearts since the 50s.”
Ancestral trauma expert Deneen Joyner works with people battling with emotional pain and trauma from childhood. Joyner said that the conditions that perpetuated slavery were the origins of hate in the U.S.
“Because of those conditions, most of our ancestors carried all of that emotional baggage from those times forward,” Joyner said. “Epigenetics is literally how DNA changes under the conditions of trauma and pain.”
Joyner described how DNA evolved from past trauma has been passed down or inherited by descendants of slaveholders and the enslaved. People adopt the habits and viewpoints of parents and siblings towards those who they perceive as different than themselves.
“This becomes the conditions for adopting hatred,” Joyner said.
She said there are some who will never be able to absolve the hatred that they carry. They have no clue or record as to where it came from. Others are open to learning and understanding about their disposition and are open to change.
For individuals interested in identifying and acknowledge hatred and its impact in their lives, Joyner recommended a technique called “soul mapping.” This method involves drawing one circle with the individual’s name in the center and adding overlapping circles that include hateful messages or incidents that were said or received. This technique can spark a conversation that can lead to awareness, understanding or reflection.
Joyner said collective gatherings that allow open discussions about the origins of hate are an important part of stopping its spread.
Many virtual attendees commented during the townhall, asking questions, commenting, and sharing experiences.
Audience member Lisa Pierfax said information from the meeting will cause her to be more mindful and examine her own attitude towards those not from this country who benefit from opportunities and experiences.
Pierfax quoted Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
CA vs. Hate is a non-emergency reporting system designed to support individuals and communities targeted for hate. An initiative started by California vs. Hate aims to connect those affected by hate with resources and services, focusing on improving hate incident and crime reporting data to increase prevention and response efforts.
During the hour-long virtual townhall, the topics of inherited hatred, media as a healing tool, the importance of reporting hate crimes and incidents and recognizing internal biases, were discussed.
For more information on the campaign against hate or to report a hate incident or a hate crime visit cavshate.org. To report to a live person, care coordinators are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by calling 833-866-4283.
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.
