Three days after the 95th Academy Awards, several artists and entertainment people took the opportunity to send a message that art is the best tool against the rising hate crimes in California.
Act against the alliance of hate (AAHA), formed in 2022 at the California State Capitol to find solutions to combat hate crime, brought these characters together to discuss how art can help in the pursuit of diversity, fairness, and inclusion in the entertainment industry.
Cary Perloff: filmmaker, writer, educator and novelist, said she grew up the daughter of a fugitive from the Holocaust, which led her to work in theater.
“One of the things Californians can do to combat hate is to support and encourage children to get an education in the arts and have opportunities and experience in the arts. I don’t think it’s a luxury. The experience of creating art awakens your own imagination as you try to put yourself in the shoes of others.”
He added that art reduces absenteeism, can improve literacy and strengthen team spirit.”
He added that it completely shapes how a child thinks they can be part of a community.
“Another way to deal with hatred is to get to know the arts, whether it’s reading a great novel that you get lost in or acting in the theater, because we often meet people who are very different from you. This is what the Greeks call catharsis, and it makes you realize that you need to protect others.”
He added that the power of creating art lies not in didactics or finger pointing, but in experiencing the lives of others.
He ended by saying that we are living in a moment of fear in the world. “The rise of anti-Semitism is dangerous and noticeable. And one of the things that we’ve found about hate is that when any kind of hatred like this is intensified against Asians, anti-Semitism is intensified; and similarly, when violence against African Americans increases, there is violence against Asians. Hate comes in waves.”
Faith Baptistfounder and owner of ChimeTV, Asia’s first television network, and president of the National Coalition for Diversity, said it’s unfortunate that many women in the Asian and Pacific Islander community have experienced racism and discrimination over the past 12 months.
“I experienced it myself. One day I was waiting for my bagel and I started to reach out and someone came up to me and said that they don’t do that in America. Come back to China!”
He noted that discrimination against Asia has existed for more than 100 years, and we are just celebrating the first anniversary of the massacre in Atlanta. “What we have learned and what we are doing after Monterey Park. A lot of Asians don’t want to say they have a mental illness.”
He said more research is needed to show differences in the US Asian experience before meaningful changes can occur.
“What are we doing about mental health issues? Mental illness plays a big role in racism. We need funding for research.”
Carlos Benítez, an art dealer, collector, inventor, entrepreneur and founder of the ACCA Fine Arts Gallery, said he enjoys having policies to prevent hate crimes, which include creating programs for writers, because it all starts with creating stories and humanizing people.
Artist Adrienne Trevolla, known in the professional world as “Tru Love”, said that when she got into activism and started working with Indian tribes and learning about their history, she realized how ignorant she really was.
“It was a very rude awakening when I found out that I was ignorant. I had to accept that and then learn how to work with that void in the story. In the vacuum of truth and education, we create stories in our minds.”
He believed that hatred actually stems from the stories we create about each other in our minds that are not based on truth, while the ability of entertainment to rewrite those stories is extraordinary.
One of the dangers that Perloff and Trevolla point to is what they call the stigmatization and marginalization of other groups.
“One of the things we know about hate is what happens when you marginalize others,” Perloff said. “It allows someone to think that the person they are harming is not like them, and that is terrible. One way to break it down is the experience of art, which you can’t distance yourself from; and very often you meet people who are very different from you.”
Source: La Opinion
Alfred Hart is an accomplished journalist known for his expert analysis and commentary on global affairs. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker, where he provides readers with in-depth coverage of the most pressing issues affecting the world today. With a keen insight and a deep understanding of international politics and economics, Alfred’s writing is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the world we live in.