Literature possesses a profound ability to transcend the boundaries of time, place, and identity, serving as a powerful catalyst for empathy and deeper racial understanding. By immersing oneself in stories that explore racial dynamics, injustices, and personal struggles, literature not only educates but also cultivates a more compassionate understanding of the complexities of race and ethnicity.

The 2024 Ethnic Media Awards showcased outstanding work from ethnic multi-media outlets across the state, reporting in a dozen languages—stories rarely covered in the mainstream. The ceremony concluded a two-day Conference and Expo hosted by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services.

The recent Mandala Workshop hosted by Southland integrates HIV education and coping with discrimination, a theme that aligns with the organization’s mission of improving the well-being of Orange County’s diverse residents through outreach, education, and community health services.

This year’s 2024 conference theme was “Strength In Unity: Embracing the Tapestry of Our Diversity, Cultivating Our Heritage, and Celebrating Our Multilingualism.” During the conference, participants were able to engage in numerous workshops, Spotlight Speaker sessions, and Keynote Speaker events covering various subjects relating to enhancing literacy skills, expanding multilingual and dual language programs, Asian language instruction, early childhood education, assessment methods, effective instructional approaches, policy advocacy, promoting racial equity, fostering family and community involvement, and exploring pathways for the State Seal of Biliteracy.

Amid the holiday season, a coalition of mental health nonprofits in Orange County was joining forces to address the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health, particularly among people of color. This collaborative effort aimed to raise awareness about mental health issues, provide support, and combat the rising tide of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A media event was hosted on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, at Pacific Electric Park in Santa Ana, California.

Over the years, Asian and Vietnamese filmmakers have increasingly taken on the responsibility of portraying Asian characters and stories authentically, shedding light on the diverse and multifaceted nature of Asian identity, and the Viet Film Festival (VFF) has been a crucial channel that helps broadcast these creative works towards a broader audience, both in theatres and online.

Groundswell’s 2022 Orange County Hate Crime Report press conference on September 21, 2023, highlighted some urgent findings and calls for unity in community collaboration in combating hate in Orange County.

As a licensed clinical social worker, Paul Hoang encountered firsthand through his patients the many heartbreaking personal stories of their sufferings during and post-pandemic. He decided that treatments alone weren’t good enough. He wanted to take practical action to teach elders the many ways they can keep themselves safe and sane.

As part of VAAMA's series highlighting organizations that make a significant impact in reducing hate and violence while fostering community healing through practical support services, we turn our spotlight to two organizations: Moving Forward Psychological Institute and Groundswell. These organizations have achieved substantial progress in providing social services and mental support to youth and seniors.

In its inaugural year, ACT Against Hate Alliance starts an initiative featuring 10 segment programs to address the alarming rise in hate crimes in California and across the United States. These webinars aim to bring together ethnic media, community leaders, educators, law enforcement experts, NGO representatives, and other important stakeholders.

On Lunar New Year’s eve, a loud sound was heard among a celebrating sound at Monterey Park. It wasn’t the sound of festival firecrackers as people initially thought. It was gun shoots and lives were taken from 11 people. A day later, a shooting spree occurred in Half Moon Bay, killing 7 and injuring 1. It was the Lunar New Year that every Asian will remember forever.

In our efforts of informing the public about their rights and empowering them with the knowledge to combat hate crimes, VAAMA interviewed two supervisory special agents for the FBI: George Boykins and David Coloso. They are setting the record straight about hate incidents and hate crimes.

As part of the California’s Stop The Hate campaign, the purpose of this project is to highlight wonderful stories and discuss the synergy between mixed-race couples and their society through the “Stop the Hate- Date to Love” initiative. This story aims to profile a mixed-race household, how they got together, and how they navigate life as a couple and learn about the complexities and joys of their partnership.

Co-organized by VAALA and in support by OCAPICA, Yellow Submarine Rising Art Exhibition is the first of its kind, an inclusive art collection that addresses the theme of Asian Hate.

On October 22, 2022, at Park Place in Irvine, Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), along with representatives from the Office of Senator Dave Min hosted a community roundtable to announce their Stop The Hate funding to seven organizations in Orange County.

Created in 2003 by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA), Viet Film Festival (VFF) is currently the most significant international Vietnamese film festival. Many renowned and upcoming filmmakers look forward to being selected by VFF because no matter how seasoned or new their film careers are, they want to achieve approval from their own people, whether it be their non-English speaking parents, or their English-solely speaking brothers and sisters. Recently, VFF has gained the attention of filmmakers around the world, including Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, and from inside Vietnam.

Moderated by Maheen Ahmed, Deputy Director for the Office of Community Awareness Response and Engagement, also known as CARE, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) hosted an informative quarterly session on August 23, 2022.

Hate crime is being brought to the forefront in the recent years as more victims are speaking up and more media coverage are being devoted to this important issues. Social, legal, and political resources and helplines are increasingly…

With the support and encouragement of the State Library, Ethnic Media Services hosted a round table on August 2, 2022, for media outlets that were grantees of the Stop the Hate campaign fund. Some other media who weren’t granted also came to share their voices. It was an empowering luncheon…

On May 17th, 2022, the Asian Business Association of Orange County hosted an APPI Panel Discussion entitled Stopping The Hate @ AAPI Small Business.