Stop the Hate: Healing HeARTS
ABOUT HEALING HEARTS
About the Healing HeARTS Project
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the nation saw a sharp upturn in hate crimes directed towards Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, with East and Southeast Asian-appearing elders and aunties, some of our most vulnerable community members, becoming the most common targets of these racially-motivated hate incidences. Some of these incidences were verbal attacks, while some have been physically violent and resulted in fatalities. In response, our communities quickly mobilized to collect nationwide data on these incidences to make a plea for solidarity against all racially-motivated hate and violence.
Thanks to the efforts of our partners at StopAAPIHate and the AAPI Equity Alliance, the California State Department of Social Services earmarked funding to combat hate and violence — no matter the cultural background, language spoken at home, gender, sexuality, nationality, or age. As a recipient of this funding through our regional lead AAPI Equity Alliance, we developed Stories of Solidarity: A Stop the Hate Community Art Project.
Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned a lot about the challenges of having tough conversations, whether it’s among family members, friends, colleagues, and other community members. Time and time again, folks are telling us that there is a huge disconnect between younger and elder community members, whether it’s due to language barriers, social media, or differences in values. Additionally, a key aspect of addressing hate crimes is building community and recognizing the humanity in each of us, no matter the race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religious background, able-bodiedness, or age.
healing hearts 2024: tough conversations
For Healing HeARTS 2024, we’re prioritizing tough conversations―how we initiate them, what we talk about, how to hold space for challenging emotions, and when and how to walk away. By combining emotional expression through art, conflict management training, and critical analysis of history and the media, we hope to empower the HH2024 Collective with tools to become leaders in their communities during this rapidly-changing era.
HH2024 Important Dates
Sessions will be weekly on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM unless special circumstances are noted. Lunch will be provided during every session.
| DATE | TOPIC / ACTIVITY | NOTES |
| Feb 16 | Applications Due | now closed |
| Sat MAR 9 | S1: What is racism? What is a hate crime? | HH2024 Collective only |
| Sat MAR 16 | S2: Mental Health and Coping Mechanisms | open to the public |
| Sun MAR 24 | S3: Body Awareness and Safety with API RISE | public, 2:00 PM start |
| MAR 30-31 | Closed in observance of Easter Weekend | N/A |
| Sat APR 6 | S4: Cross-generational Conversations | bring loved ones! |
| Sat APR 13 | S5: Media Literacy, Current Events, and Messaging through Art Alhambra Day of Service | public |
| Sat MAY 4 | 2024 Healing HeARTS Community Art Fest Langley Center 400 Emerson Ave, Monterey Park, CA (Registration link for community members will be posted end of March. Interested vendors, click HERE.) | public, free |
We thank Arts for Healing and Justice Network for their continued partnership and art mentorship!
Frequently asked questions
Anyone who cares about social justice, community power, activism, and civic engagement are welcome!
Not at all! All are welcome to participate, regardless of any art experience or training. We also provide art mentorship from professional teaching artists for all those interested. Thank you, AHJN!
Absolutely. You may also mix various art mediums as you like.
Your pairing will depend on the art medium(s) you’re interested in. In partnership with AHJN, we’ll provide a list of available organizations and art mediums, which you can rank in preference.
Yes, you can bring loved ones to any public sessions.
Members of the HH2024 Collective get access to art mentors, special books and notebooks to enhance the workshops. They also get formal recognition from NAPAFASA as part of the Healing HeARTS alumni.
We host them once a year! In 2023, we hosted it in October. In 2024, we will host it in May. We hope to host in May every subsequent year.
Nope! Our Art Fests are free and open to the public. We also provide lunch and snacks from local shops at no cost to all attendees, while supplies last.
healing hearts 2023: stories of solidarity
During this initial launch, participants aged 16-24 in Los Angeles County to participate in four weekly discussion spaces for various topics such as labor, civil rights, and social justice movements and the art created in response during those critical times. After completion of the weekly discussion spaces, we partnered with the Arts for Healing and Justice Network to arrange one-on-one art instruction between our Participants and their teaching artists. Project Participants produced paintings, mixed medium pieces, slam poetry, and various forms of digital media. These art pieces were premiered at the AAPI Solidarity Conference: A Youth Empowerment Event, co-hosted by SIPA, SPACE at UCLA, and NAPAFASA in April 2023.
The same month, we also joined our friends at the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) at the San Francisco LGBT Center to discuss mental health among our youth and how to start cultivating cross-generational conversations.
In 2023, we rebranded the project to Healing HeARTS, recognizing the healing power of the arts and their ability to bring communities together, no matter the background, language, or culture. We partnered with SIPA, Toni Pasion of Pasion Performance Group, and several of our local partners for the Healing HeARTS 2023 Community Art Fest at Lai Lai Ballroom and Dance Studio in Alhambra, California.
