Stop the Hate

The Hate Stops Here: Standing with Imperial Counties Grassroots Leaders to Develop Community-Led Solutions

Imperial County’s Grassroots Leaders

You may have heard about or participated in local events across San Diego happening through California’s Stop the Hate* (STH) program, but did you know this work extends throughout Imperial County as well? Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties serves as the regional lead of Stop the Hate along the Border Region, and currently supports 27 grantees leading culturally responsive prevention, intervention, and direct support services that empower communities to reduce hate and build a greater sense of hope and belonging.

As regional lead, Catalyst has worked to ensure Imperial County leaders and organizations are better connected and supported in their efforts to disrupt hate in their communities. Specifically, our partnership with the Imperial Valley Social Justice Committee (IVSJC) has helped to fill gaps for local grassroots organizations around resource and capacity building, network building, and collaboration.

A critical step to addressing these infrastructure gaps is pinpointing nuanced issues Imperial Valley organizations are facing, as well as identifying how STH grantees in San Diego County can stand in solidarity with their Imperial-based colleagues. To this end, Catalyst was pleased to partner with the Imperial Valley Social Justice Committee (IVSJC) to co-host The Hate Stops Here, a convening held in El Centro which focused on surfacing community-led solutions to local issues. This is the second annual event IVSJC has led to bring together Imperial County grassroots groups and align efforts around disrupting hate.

Access to resources in the Imperial Valley

The convening served as an opportunity to spread the word about hate prevention resources available through the state. Marquez Equilibria, representing the California Civil Rights Department Conflict Resolution Unit, presented to the group about free community conflict resolution support available for communities seeking to resolve conflicts. He also shared about the CA vs. Hate multilingual reporting line – a phone line open to the public for reporting hate crimes and incidents and connecting to support resources.

Solutions created by and for the Imperial Valley

The day’s conversations included world café style table discussions with attendees rotating through different topline issues. Participants representing faith-based organizations, the education sector, and direct service providers connected with one another to identify specific challenges and solutions around community-identified priorities. These included bullying, misinformation, unequal access to resources, mental health, hate crimes, and community conflict.

Imperial County’s Grassroots Leaders

Standing in solidarity with Imperial communities

Several San Diego-based Stop the Hate grantees were able to join their Imperial County colleagues in El Centro for the convening, while others participated virtually. Participants felt it was particularly helpful to learn about the context in which IV organizations operate and appreciated the opportunity to share how their organizations approached similar issues.

Attendees also explored potential collaborations and ways to leverage one another’s strengths and networks. As an example, the Imperial Valley Social Justice Committee has deep roots with longtime Imperial Valley residents. As an outgrowth of the day’s conversations, the San Diego- based organization Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL) is now working to connect IVSJC to the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community in Imperial Valley – a population which has recently mushroomed due to surging home prices in San Diego. This kind of connection-weaving has the potential to strengthen the voice and reach of both established leaders and new community members in Imperial.

The Hate Stops Here, but the work continues

This dynamic convening closed with a debrief of the issues and most promising solutions surfaced during group conversations. Grassroots leaders and organizations then shared commitments to continue developing actionable strategies and next steps. Participants left the room energized and excited about moving the work forward, both individually and collaboratively.

“It was inspiring to receive feedback from participants that they felt heard, connected, and ready to take action. I am committed to bringing more sessions to continue the work,” shared IVSJC’s Special Events Coordinator, Adrianne Lawson.

Catalyst is deeply appreciative of the Imperial Valley Social Justice Committee’s partnership in continuing to bring together such an impressive group of community leaders. Convenings like The Hate Stops Here empower changemakers in both Imperial County and San Diego to think outside the box and spearhead bold solutions for their communities to heal, create belonging, and stop hate in its tracks.

Want to learn more about the impact of Stop the Hate partner organizations in San Diego and Imperial Counties?

Access videos, articles, and grantee highlights at catalystsd.org/stopthehate. You can also stay up to date on events and other resources by liking Stop the Hate CA Border Region on Facebook and following @stopthehatecaborderregion on Instagram.