There are a million important issues facing Latinos in Los Angeles and throughout the state. In so many instances, Latino/a/x communities are left to fight for equity and equality and social justice. We are forced to demand quality education for our children, as well as fair representation, not only in Hollywood, but also in the boardrooms of big business, among the ivory towers of higher education and in the halls of power in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Immigration and beyond.
As the Managing Editor, I can tell you that our team believes one of the most important issues that we can have an impact on is that of hate – more specifically, the issue of hate and violence aimed against Latinos/as/x communities for no more reason than the color of their skin or the virtue of their heritage. And we want to cover the heroes and power players who have made it their mission to stamp out hate, in all of its forms, whether it breaks out in Hollywood or downtown LA or the streets of Boyle Heights.
We know that cases of hate crimes against Latinos are severely underreported. We know that the FBI collects data on hate crimes, but many police departments in California and other states do not report local hate crimes. Furthermore, we know that victims who are undocumented are perennially leery – for good reason – of reporting an incident to police, local, state or federal.
We believe that we have a duty to help paint a better picture of the state of hate in LA, particularly as it impacts and pertains to Latino communities. Our newsroom has begun to shed a light on what is happening in LA via an ongoing news series tailored for Latino audiences. To follow the Anti-Hate series, click here.
Anti-Hate Series
Introduction: Anti-Hate Project
LA Hate Report
Trends in Hate Crimes
Underreporting of Hate Crimes
Do us a favor
If you are an expert on hate crimes or Anti-Hate initiatives in Southern California, or a victim of a crime or incident, please reach out to Senior Reporter Brenda Fernanda Verano, brenda@latinomedia.org.
In addition, under the watch of Opinion Editor Teresa Puente, we are offering exclusive commentary and mindful editorial pieces that provide clarity on the various angles of this issue and calls for action to help move the needle.
To that end, we are also creating a series of videos to highlight our on ongoing reporting and the continued dialogue taking place on our Opinion pages.
The most important message is this: If you have a stake in this issue, have a plan to make things better or the power to move that needle, we would love to hear from you.
Please keep your eyes on CALÓ NEWS.