Booklets Printed in Nine Languages to Be Distributed Across L.A. County
Hate crime in the U.S. rose to its highest level in more than a decade just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was first identified in China, which resulted in a flood of hate incidents and crimes based on misplaced blame. Voice of America reported an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes of almost 150 percent in 16 of the country’s most populous cities last year. In the midst of the pandemic and the rise in coronavirus-related discrimination, the nation was also rocked by the heart wrenching death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. That led to weeks of protests calling for social justice for people of color.
L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in the country, believes racism is a public health crisis. The health plan has issued statements denouncing anti-Asian hate and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, the health plan is committing $25,000 dollars to print 17,000 booklets titled How to Report a Hate Crime that will be distributed during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month across Los Angeles County. That’s because experts say reporting hate is the first step toward stopping hate.
The booklets, which will be printed in nine languages – Korean, Chinese, Khmer, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Japanese, Spanish and English – will be distributed at a wide variety of locations, including government offices, consulates, senior centers, immigrant resource centers, and neighborhood councils.
This booklet sponsorship is just one way L.A. Care is meeting its commitment under its board-approved Statement of Principles on Social Justice and Systemic Racism. The statement called for the formation of an Equity Council to focus on equity issues, and hate impacts equity. The council includes a member subcommittee, which is holding a special session next week with members of the health plan’s consumer advisory committee for a special presentation and dialogue on the history of anti-Asian hate in America.
L.A. Care was fortunate to meet Esther Lim, the author of the booklet, while participating as a member of the LA vs Hate coalition during L.A. County’s inaugural United Against Hate Week. Lim will begin distribution of the booklets at a Stop Asian Hate Family Rally tomorrow at Irvine City Hall, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
The booklets will answer many questions, including:
- What is a hate crime?
- What impact do hate crimes have?
- What rights do you have?
- How can I prevent a hate crime?
- What do I do after an attack?
The booklets encourage people to report hate incidents to 211, even if they don’t rise to the level of a crime. LA vs Hate maintains that by understanding how and where hate is occurring, communities can respond with appropriate resources and support in order to prevent future hate incidents or crimes from happening to others.