ISH and the California Commission on the State of Hate
UCLA is partnering with the California Commission on the State of Hate to review existing educational interventions aimed at preventing and reducing prejudice and hate incidents. ISH Graduate Student Researcher, Sara Wilf, is conducting a literature review of existing programs, trainings, curricula, approaches, and practices in K-12 schools and youth-focused programs (e.g., afterschool, community). This literature review will support the Commission in its mission to provide resources and guidance to policymakers about how to effectively reduce and respond to hate activity.
The Commission on the State of Hate was established to strengthen California’s efforts to stop hate and promote mutual respect among California’s diverse population. The Commission is charged with the following duties:
- Publish a rigorous, comprehensive accounting of hate activity in California
- Engage in fact finding and research on hate activity
- Host community forums on the state of hate
- Provide resources and guidance to communities and government officials on how to effectively reduce and respond to hate activity
Sara Wilf
Sara’s scholarship explores youth sociopolitical development on social media and within social movements. Her research is grounded in her experience working with youth-focused nonprofits, and in her advocacy work with the movement to support survivors of sexual violence. Through her research, Sara seeks to amplify young people’s agency in creating sociopolitical change and imagining better futures. Her work has been supported by the Initiative to Study Hate (2021), the Frank D. Gilliam Jr. Social Justice Award (2020, 2021), the Bedari Kindness Institute Summer Fellowship (2020), and the Graduate Research Mentorship (2021). She is a co-founding member of UCLA student advocacy organization Survivors + Allies. Previously, Sara was a program evaluator, teacher, and facilitator with nonprofits and schools in India, Chile, and the U.S. She graduated with an MPA in Social Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Dillon Trujillo
Dillon Trujillo, MPH (he/they) is a first-generation Ph.D. student in Community Health Sciences at UCLA and his research intersects sexual and gender minority health, HIV prevention science, and health equity research. Dillon’s work includes large-scale HIV surveillance studies and digital health interventions that improve HIV care outcomes for young people living with HIV. He aims to use health equity frameworks and mixed methods research to assess the feasibility and acceptability of conditional cash transfer interventions to increase HIV prevention behaviors among Black and Latinx men who have sex with men in Los Angeles, California for his dissertation. Additionally, at UCLA’s Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, & Health, he contributed to developing a data dashboard that monitors social stigma and racism, supporting marginalized populations during public health crises. He currently supports UCLA’s Initiative to Study Hate by reviewing mental health interventions for hate crime victims. Deeply committed to public health and social justice, Dillon is dedicated to driving change, informing public health priorities, and addressing the needs of historically underserved communities.
ISH and the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
This year, ISH is co-hosting a postdoctoral scholar in partnership with the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies to research the nuances and dynamics of antisemitism in the context of hate writ large. It will also join with the Leve Center to launch a new research hub on antisemitism, including a second post-doc, which was made possible by a generous donation from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Foundation.