On Wednesday, May 28, Women For: Orange County, along with the Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHRC), hosted a panel discussion in Irvine on the overall state of hate crimes in that locale in light of the recent crimes report issued by OCHRC. Speakers from various groups including the Latino, African-American, Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender, and Muslim communities were invited to share insights on the work their organizations are doing to combat hate crimes and promote diversity.
CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Manager, Fatima Dadabhoy spoke about hate incidents American Muslims are experiencing and how some victims don’t report hate incidents because they perceive anti-Muslim sentiment as a normal part of American society. She emphasized the importance of reporting hate crimes as well as hate speech as they serve as measures of sentiments in the community and can better help civil rights advocates to address the issue at a policy level.