2021 has been another difficult year. Yet, there is hope as we confront overlapping crises.
There is hope in the form of local hero, Jessica Owyoung, who we honored at the 2021 ADL In Concert Against Hate. Jessica was worried about the elders in her Oakland Chinatown community. They were scared to go out because of COVID and the attacks targeting the Asian community. “I felt isolated, like so many people sitting there feeling frustrated and feeling alone and feeling like I didn’t have the power to do anything to help anyone, so this was my opportunity.” Jessica helped to found Compassion Oakland , an organization that provides volunteer “chaperones” to help the elders of Oakland Chinatown go about their daily lives with the security that safety in numbers provides. Jessica says an overwhelming number of volunteers signed up to keep the elders safe, “…my biggest takeaway is the beauty of the human spirit. When people act together, come together, bind together and stand up against things that are not right, it is so powerful.”
Click HERE to watch the recording of Jessica and the concert.
More hope from the Central Pacific Region:
- A World of Difference Institute® programs reach tens of thousands of community members –including in Utah and Hawai`i—and despite remote learning challenges, over 30 schools across the Bay Area are working to become No Place for Hate®.
- Glass Leadership Institute graduated 12 exceptional young leaders from diverse ethnic and professional backgrounds, after 10 months of learning about ADL’s work fighting hate through investigation, education, and advocacy.
- Following on ADL advocacy and expert input, Ross Farca was convicted in December for threat, illegal weapons, and hate crime charges in connection with extensive online posts expressing his desire to mass murder Jews and first responders.
- ADL advocacy led to the passage of several meaningful laws, including AB 57 (Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel), which requires hate crime refresher courses for all California peace officers and stems from a state audit of hate crime investigations, for which ADL provided expert insights.
- One of ADL’s statutory ideas was so compelling that Gavin Newsom decided to create a Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education immediately.
- Over 500 concerned people attended our webinar to learn how to Navigate Antisemitism on Social Media and support the Jewish community to respond effectively to hate online.
- Our leadership helped avert the adoption of a biased Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum earlier this year, exposing antisemitism and outlining the issues in publications and webinars.
Even as we face global challenges together, we find hope. If one determined woman from Oakland can launch a movement, you—alongside thousands of others—can fight hate for good with ADL!
Please visit adl.org/donate to make your investment today.
With our deep gratitude,
Your Friends in the Central Pacific Region