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

LOS ANGELES — LA vs Hate May 22 announced a summer-long celebration of Los Angeles County’s cultural diversity, called LA vs Hate: Summer of Solidarity. 

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.

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, th at 3 p.m., June 4 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:

• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 3, Hate Crime Clinic at Heritage United Methodist Church
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,  June 18, Juneteenth Celebration & Resource Fair at Ciclavia South LA
• 10 a.m., Aug. 5, LGBTQ mural unveiling at Bixby Park, Long Beach

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.

Details: LAvsHate.org, and events calendar: lavshate.org/community-events-calendar.