A Lovely Place of Refuge”: Interfaith Justice Forum Tackles Hate in California
By McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media
Americans became more polarized in the last decade than at any time in U.S. history since the Civil War, according to Maia Ferdman, the Deputy Director of UCLA’s Bendari Kindness Institute and Staff Director of the university’s Dialogue Across Difference Initiative.
“Not only do we just vote or think differently, we dislike or mistrust people who are different from us,” Ferdman explained.
Seeing opponents as enemies can justify violence and hate, Ferdman also warned. “Bridge-building, she said, can counteract the fraying of society.”
Ferdman’s insights framed the tone of the California Commission on the State of Hate’s “Virtual Community Forum on Dialogue Across Differences” held via Zoom on Sept. 5.
The two-hour community forum’s other speakers included Western Justice Center Executive Director Elissa Barrett and Interfaith Speakers Bureau speakers Maha Elgenaidi and Karen Stiller.
State of Hate Commissioners Cynthia Choi, Regina Cuellar, Cece Feiler, Russell Roybal, Erroll Southers, and Chair Brian Levin shared their ideas and perspectives, too.
The Commission on the State of Hate is a division of the state’s Civil Rights Department was established to strengthen California’s efforts to stop hate and promote mutual respect among the Golden State’s diverse population. It produces annual hate incident reports and offers community-informed policy recommendations to reduce the impacts of hate on Californians.
Barrett, whose organization focuses on restorative justice in schools, shared that the Western Justice Center has trained 4,000 students and teachers in Southern California school systems in the last three years to manage conflict and reduce violence through restorative justice circles, student engagement projects, and peer mediators.
Recently, Barrett said, the Western Justice Center co-led a mediation with students and teachers between a 12th grader who defaced school property with a swastika and a teacher whom the senior had directed racist language toward. During the mediation, the student explained the root of his actions and the teacher discussed the betrayal of trust.
“We were able to have the student and teacher talk about how it had impacted them,” Barrett explained. “We designed amends for the student to make and be able to graduate.”
The Western Justice Center also co-facilitated a restorative circle with fifth graders, who were targeted by cyberbullying and racist language on social media, and their classmates who typed the posts.
Elgenaidi, Executive Director of the Islamic Networks Group, said the organization founded the Interfaith Speakers Bureau 20 years ago.
multilingual hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal. Reports can be made anonymously by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT or online at any time.
Hate acts can be reported in 15 different languages through the online portal and in over 200 languages when calling the hotline. For individuals who want to report a hate crime to law enforcement immediately or who are in imminent danger, please call 911.
For more information on CA vs Hate, please visit CAvsHate.org.
