The Los Angeles Times, Aug 20, 2015 By Ahn Do, A man walked up to a couple who were out shopping and asked if they were lesbians. When they said yes, he beat them. Another man attacked an elderly Vietnamese American woman as she stepped off a bus. He shouted racial slurs, kicked her in the chest and knocked
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Orange County Register, July 28, 2015 By Meghann Cuniff, Staff Writer The Orange County Human Relations Commission on Tuesday announced its support for the removal of Mississippi’s flag from the Santa Ana Civic Center. The commission has supported the idea since discussing on July 9 a suggestion by Todd Spitzer, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. The flag includes the
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The Irvine Police Department is looking into a report of a racially charged flier left in an elevator of Toscana Apartments, a residential complex near the UC Irvine campus. Rusty Kennedy, executive director of Orange County Human Relations, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating prejudice, intolerance and discrimination within the community, says he characterizes this act as a “troubling and racist message meant to ferment animosity and racial prejudice.”
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Rusty Kennedy, chief executive of the nonprofit OC Human Relations, was featured on the “Immigration and Community Engagement” panel at Chapman University’s “Breaking Borders” conference. Kennedy, who has worked on immigration issues for more than 40 years, said the current system keeps undocumented immigrants in the country without voice or representation.
Read more →May 1, 2015, Placentia News Times BY JOHN FABRIS, GUEST WRITER Looking back, Gloria Banks can see that she might have been smart to just be quiet. Little black girls in 1950s McGehee, Ark., weren’t supposed to look white people in the eye, she says – much less tell them off. But if Banks had learned that lesson, she wouldn’t be
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Back in the 1960s, Dorothy “Dottie” Mulkey fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn housing discrimination in Santa Ana. Mulkey received an award from OC Human Relations for her efforts, but is now facing homelessness after her home burned down.
Read more →OC Register, January 9, 2015 The Orange County Human Relations Commission is seeking nominations for its annual awards honoring those who have fostered greater understanding and respect for others in Orange County. “Awards 44” will recognize individuals and groups involved in community causes, law enforcement, and schools for making a lasting contribution to human relations in the county. Nominees can
Read more →OC Register, Jan 8, 2015 by America Hernadez As the civil rights movie “Selma” arrives in theaters throughout Orange County today, backlash has already begun regarding the film’s depiction of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson. Director and co-writer Ava DuVernay has garnered praise in the past for her ability to craft complex black characters, most notably with the 2012 drama “Middle
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Fullerton Observer, mid-December, 2014 Nearby neighbors have no problems with the six Zen Buddhist nuns or their meditation sessions held at their long-time home on Euclid. The temple’s 20 or so members who gather to meditate on Sunday mornings are mostly elderly people who fled their homes after it became too dangerous to stay for those who fought with the
Read more →An article by Rusty Kennedy, Executive Director, OC Human Relations. Friday night my wife Anita dragged me along to the Fullerton Armory to set-up, serve and clean-up for the homeless individuals who use this last chance shelter for all. It had been a long week and this didn’t seem like our usual date-night activity
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