by Barbara Smith

California is known for its vibrant arts and cultural scene, which includes a wide range of artistic expressions. Notably, with the rise in hate crimes locally and nationally, California has launched initiatives and legislation aimed at promoting tolerance and healing divisions. The “Stop the Hate” program, and “CA vs. Hate” are two state-funded programs launched by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state of California to combat hate and empower diverse communities.

Southern California residents will have the opportunity to take part in a series of free concerts beginning November 30, sponsored in part by the California State Library, with the goal of increasing awareness of services offered by the state for reporting and healing trauma and hate.  Stand Against Hate: A Community and Performing Arts Concert will be presented at San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium at 7PM on Thursday, November 30.

With Executive Producer Brian Townsend, publisher, Precinct Reporter Group, and under the able leadership of Project Director Kathryn Ervin, theatre arts emeritus professor Cal State San Bernardino, and Associate Producer, Maura Townsend, choreographer/educator/dancer, Maura Townsend Dance Project, the first concert will be held at San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium and brings together a group of accomplished artists with a shared passion for building bridges through their art and making connections with their audience. The event will feature dance, film, spoken word and poetry. Artists representing diverse cultures and backgrounds will present selections that address differences in race, gender identity, religion and more.

The Sweetness of Sweat by bbmoves. Photo: Tom

According to Project Director Ervin, “Our goal is to showcase the artist’s role in educating the community about the trauma that hate is creating in our community and underline the importance of taking action through using the services provided by the state.” Among services offered by new legislation are educational initiatives with curricula addressing issues of hate and discrimination to foster understanding among students of different backgrounds; law enforcement training to ensure that hate crimes are properly investigated and prosecuted; and hate crime reporting, reducing the stigma and making it easier for victims and witnesses to come forward and seek assistance.

Besides Maura Townsend Dance Project, artists/participants in this initial concert include actor/educator/mediator Ron Berglas (Highlander and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles); choreographer/ filmmaker/activist Bernard Brown, Los Angeles-based  bbmoves;  choreographer Seda Aybay, Artistic Director, Kybele Dance Theater; and filmmaker/educator/performer Joyce Lee  (Freedom Child, and “The Whole World’s A’Talkin’).

Each of the selections in the November 30 concert reflects the artist/participant’s keen observations of how hate, hurt, and trauma can build walls and how, through communication, we can heal.

Maura Townsend, whose extensive career incorporates an eclectic blend of modern, ballet, jazz and West African dance, has created a piece We Matter in response to the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. Initially we see friction and conflict because someone is different, she explains. Dancers face outward and are separated, representing differing ideas. The dance builds to a confrontation, then toward the end, a circle is formed, with people coming together, sitting down, beginning to communicate, thus breaking down the wall. “When we bring various communities together, we get a better understanding of each other,” she says. “The arts act as a bridge between cultures. Movement is our platform, our voice. Bringing dancers of different backgrounds, cultures, different gender identities helps open the door of communication.”

Another one of the dances, says Ervin, a nationally recognized theatre arts professional, looks specifically at how people are divided by borders, both physical and emotional, and then reveals a path forward. The choreography portrays artistically how some borders are erected by groups, some by ourselves. Through dynamic integration of props and movement, the dance reveals a resolution, untangling the ropes that separate us.

In filmmaker Joyce Lee’s 15-minute Essence of Love, an eleven-year-old Muslim girl becomes the unintended victim of a hate crime in the aftermath of 9-11.

With this concert and upcoming events, Ervin and Townsend will assemble performances that have the power to inspire empathy, foster understanding, and promote dialogue, all of which can contribute to reducing hate and discrimination.

And each concert in this project is just the beginning. “We are hoping artists will share their own experiences with the audience and in turn encourage dialogue,” says Ervin. Coming out of the period of COVID, where many experienced physical and emotional isolation, knowing one is not alone is crucial. A question-and-answer period will follow each performance, and literature will be available to guide audience members to resources to further healing and connections.

The project promises to be an opportunity to showcase the beauty of the arts, but even more to highlight the artist’s role in educating the community about the trauma that hate is creating in our communities and underline the importance of taking action through using services provided by the state. Said musician/composer Jon Batiste recently speaking of his new documentary, American Symphony, “That is the purpose and the platform of the creative arts: to heal, to bring people together and to show we’re not alone out there.”

For further information on the Precinct Reporter “Stop the Hate” project, visit www.precinctreporter.com or call (909) 889-0597.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.