By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey

‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

On April 28, Black-led organizations from across California that fight prejudice, hostility, or violence directed at individuals based on their race, ethnic origin, or skin color, joined with other anti-hate groups at the California State Capitol for a “Stop the Hate Day of Action.”

The gathering, featuring the Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP) and the NAACP California Hawaii State Conference (CA/HI NAACP), was organized to advocate for the renewal of state funding for the program, which is currently scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2026.

Lorreen Pryor, president and CEO of BYLP, told California Black Media (CBM) that her organization was at the event and news conference to make sure the Black community was “visible.” She highlighted the fact that Black Californians continuously face racism across the state.

“We are a grantee of the Stop the Hate program, and I am here in support of them extending the funding,” Pryor told CBM. “As you probably read in the Attorney General’s report, the Black community is the number one target of hate crimes in California.”

The Stop the Hate (STH) Program is a statewide initiative designed to support victims of hate crimes and incidents while fostering community healing and prevention. It is operated by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which funds a network of over 180 community-based organizations (CBOs).

The STH program has been operating with a total investment of approximately $250 million since its inception in 2021, and provides grants to community-based organizations (CBOs) for victim services, prevention, and outreach.

Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP) is a nonprofit organization based in the Sacramento area dedicated to developing Black students through education-focused advocacy, mentorship, and civic engagement, primarily in Sacramento County.

BYLP provides direct support to families, helping them navigate school district disciplinary actions and advocating for students, particularly addressing racial disparities in school discipline.

Pryor said because of STH funding, BYLP has been able to extend its services — from only serving the Sacramento area to now including the Los Angeles region.

“The funding has been impactful for us because folks know or may not know, we are educational advocates,” Pryor said. “The Elk Grove Unified School District is No. 1 in the state for disproportionate discipline, and there are other school districts in Sacramento County that are in the top 25 for disproportionate discipline of Black children.”

Pryor added, “(BYLP) takes complaints and goes into mitigating those issues. That’s how the funding has been used, and that’s what it will continue to be used for if (STH) is extended. It’s not just regional.”

Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), and Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), chair of the California Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (AAPILC), attended the event organized by the AAPI Equity Alliance.

Sens. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) joined the lawmakers with community leaders to emphasize the importance of “Stop the Hate” funding and to support it. The event brought together 42 organizations representing AAPI, Black, Latino, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities.

“Communities across the state will be left unprotected if this funding does not go through. Hate is escalating,” Wahab said. “This is not solely an AAPI issue. It’s about protecting all of our communities.”

Black people represent about 6% of California’s population, but account for nearly 30% of reported hate crime victims statewide. According to the California Department of Justice, there were 494 reported anti-Black hate crime events in 2024.

The NAACP CA/HI State Conference provides the “Stop the Hate Legal Redress” program to offer free legal consultations and representation to victims of racial harassment, discrimination, and hate crimes. This initiative, funded by California’s Stop the Hate program, aims to combat rising workplace discrimination and remove financial barriers to legal counsel.

Taneicia Herring, the government affairs specialist for CA/HI NAACP, based in Sacramento, said the funding is critical for the organization that acts as a premier civil rights entity advocating for Black and Brown communities through legal redress.

CA/HI NAACP collaborates with the state’s CA vs Hate hotline and online resourcewhere it refers some victims of hate crimes and incidents.

“Oftentimes, our community goes unnoticed, pretty much a second thought when it comes to impact in terms of racial harassment and racial discrimination,” Herring said. “The work that we’ve been able to do with the funds of Stop the Hate has been monumental. We’ve had about 50-plus people go through the pipeline to get in touch with an attorney and get their matters handled.”