Southern California Prepares for World Conference Against Racism

By Mari Womack
Washington File Special Correspondent

(Los Angeles ethnic diversity example for rest of world)

Los Angeles -- Can lessons learned in Los Angeles be used to combat racism in other parts of the world? This was a recurring theme in the Southern California Conference Against Racism held in Los Angeles April 28.

Co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication, and United Nations support groups in the United States, the conference was one of a series of regional conferences in different parts of the world in preparation for the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Durban, South Africa from August 31 to September 7.

Addressing the Los Angeles Conference, Elsa Stamatopoulou, deputy to the director of the New York office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, observed that "Los Angeles, where all members of ethnic communities live side by side, has something to teach the rest of the world."

Los Angeles County is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the United States. More than 80 languages are spoken in area schools. The county has large ethnic communities as well as increasing numbers of immigrants from various parts of the world. As Stamatopolou noted, most of the time members of the different ethnic communities live peacefully side by side. However, the Los Angeles area has also been the scene of a number of racially linked incidents that have attracted international attention and forced local officials to develop means of defusing ethnic tensions. Ron Wakabayashi, the Western Regional director of the Community Relations Service of the Department of Justice, said of Los Angeles, "We are the only place in the country that has developed an infrastructure for dealing with racism."

Conference participants agreed that infrastructure is the key to combating racism. A number of speakers noted that the most effective approach is shaping a coalition that includes government, educators, media and members of the community. Spokespersons from all these groups were represented at the Los Angeles Preparatory Conference. The meeting drew community leaders from a variety of perspectives including national, state and local officials, as well as representatives of various ethnic communities. Educators and members of mass media also provided input. Delegates from Canada included a senior policy advisor for the Canadian Department of Industry and a representative from the Canadian Aboriginal People's Television Network.

Anitra Dempsey plays a pioneering role as the first Human Dignity coordinator for the city of Long Beach, which adjoins the city of Los Angeles. Dempsey noted that Long Beach is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Last year, Long Beach established a Hate Crime Response Team trained in human relations to deal sensitively with victims of hate crimes, which are crimes that target victims on the basis of ethnicity, nationality or religion. Dempsey works with the Long Beach Police Department to coordinate activities of the Hate Crime Response Team and to develop programs that promote acceptance of ethnic and cultural diversity, harmony within the community and inter-group conflict resolution. Like other speakers at the Conference, Dempsey stressed the importance of community involvement at all levels. Long Beach is "not comprised of racists particularly," she stated, "but people just want to protect their own little niche."

Dempsey noted that organizing against hate crimes is usually not undertaken by cities, but is typically left to others, such as volunteer community groups. In Long Beach, she said, the city's top officials are supportive of the Human Dignity Program and the Hate Crimes Response Team. Not only is it the right thing to do, she said, but preventing racism is good for the city as a whole: "Helping people feel safe improves the image of the city." Dempsey added, "A hate crime does not affect just the victim. It causes people to change their lifestyle."

Dempsey's suggestion that racism and racially inspired violence is harmful to the community as a whole was echoed by Stamatopoulou, who noted that ethnic tensions negatively impact the economy of a region. She said, "Racial discrimination is an inhibiting factor to development."

A number of speakers described the human side of racial inequality. Debra Carr is chair of the Interagency Task Force created by the White House to oversee and coordinate U.S. government preparations for the United Nations' World Conference Against Racism. She noted that she was born of poor African Americans in east Texas. Her father did not complete high school, nor could he sign his name. Yet Carr attended law school and went on to become an official at the Department of Justice. She told conference participants, "That's why this day matters."

Racism and intolerance cannot be changed by governments alone, several conference participants noted. Widespread riots and looting in the city of Los Angeles in 1992 led members of the Korean and African American communities to open a dialogue aimed at defusing ethnic tensions. These cooperative efforts illustrate the importance of balancing the interests of competing ethnic communities.

The city of Azusa created a special unit aimed at racially motivated crimes committed by gangs. The predominantly Hispanic community experienced an increase in crimes by gangs defending their territories after African Americans begin moving into the city. Karen Pihlak, head of patrol and detective bureaus for the Azusa Police Department, noted that 90 percent of hate crimes in the city are committed by Hispanic gangs and that 87 percent of the victims are African Americans.

Pihlak also stated that the Azusa Police Department vigorously pursues perpetrators of hate crimes, but this is attempting to deal with the problem "after the fact." In an attempt to prevent hate crimes rather than merely prosecute them, the police department has organized community watch committees and talked to community members to gain their input. Azusa police have also installed motion detectors aimed at discouraging crime, an effort funded by members of the community. "I don't have a panacea," Pihlak said, "but we're building a sense of community one neighborhood at a time."

The importance of community involvement was stressed by a number of speakers. Dick Guthrie is director of Human Services for the city of Claremont. Whereas Azusa is a lower middle class community, Claremont is an affluent white community with increasing numbers of minorities. Ethnic violence flared after the shooting of an 18-year-old African American youth by Claremont police in 1999. Demonstrators were joined by students at Claremont College when police officials reportedly proved insensitive to racial implications of the shooting. Guthrie stated, "At that time we had a crisis in the community."

The city appointed a task force to invite community involvement in resolving the crisis. The task force held community meetings, received recommendations from community organizations and held town hall meetings. The city also installed video cameras in police cars to monitor activities of police during arrests and approved funds for diversity training for city employees. Like other speakers, Guthrie noted that combating racism is an ongoing project, one that requires continued involvement at all levels of the community.

Representatives of media addressed their role in addressing racism and racial discrimination. Zara Buggs-Taylor is an attorney and executive administrator for the Employment Diversity for the Writers Guild of America, West, which represents writers in the entertainment industry. Buggs-Taylor noted that the Writers Guild has been seeking equal employment opportunities for minorities in media for several decades and has committees representing the interests of minorities and women. Lack of opportunity is not due to lack of motivation among potential employers, she said, but to outdated hiring practices. She added, "Policymakers are progressive and receptive, but the entertainment industry is 20 years behind the times." More work is needed, she stressed, because "We want to make sure all of America's stories are covered by all of America's story tellers."

The work of organizers of the Los Angeles Preparatory Conference Against Racism is far from over. Stamatopoulou urged organizers of the conference to draft a report including recommendations for "forward-looking strategies" for combating racism. That report, along with reports from other regional conferences, will be used in planning the World Conference Against Racism in South Africa this coming August.