Environmental Services Stop the Hate Campaign Wraps with Community Mural

The 2026 Stop the Hate Campaign, led by KYCC Environmental Services and funded by the California Department of Social Services, focused on fostering safer, more inclusive public spaces through community-driven engagement, storytelling, and environmental stewardship. Within this effort, KYCC’s Environmental Services played a key role in activating neighborhood spaces by integrating care for the environment with opportunities for creative expression and community connection. 

Through a series of place-based interventions, including chalk art activations, utility box maintenance, and public art projects Environmental Services helped transform everyday public infrastructure into platforms for storytelling, visibility, and belonging.

Beginning in January 2026, KYCC Environmental Services partnered with the Koreatown Storytelling Program (KSP) to launch a series of chalk days and a day of bringing volunteers together to provide maintenance care to our Stop the Hate utility boxes. This collaborative effort brought art and community together in shared public space, inviting residents to engage in accessible storytelling while reflecting commitment to sustainability through the use of reusable, low-waste, non-toxic chalk materials. Attendees were invited to share their experiences and perspectives on belonging and anti-hate messaging through interviews conducted by KSP staff, creating space for meaningful dialogue and reflection.

On March 21, 2026, the initiative concluded with a community mural project, “We Belong Here,” a permanent, community-created installation that reflects resident voices and serves as a lasting symbol of belonging, cultural pride, and collective resilience in Koreatown. To bring the mural to life, KYCC partnered with local artist Jacqueline Hernandez, also known as Las Chicas Peligrosas, whose work centers community narratives through bold, visually compelling illustrations that uplift diverse cultures, neighborhoods, and identities. Through this collaboration, community stories were transformed into a vibrant public artwork that reflects the voices and lived experiences of Koreatown residents.

The Stop the Hate campaign was developed in response to rising hate incidents and the growing fear experienced by immigrant and marginalized communities. Within this context, the “We Belong Here” mural advances the campaign’s goals by creating inclusive, multilingual public art that celebrates unity across cultures and languages; fostering climate and social resilience through storytelling, volunteerism, and art-based engagement; and empowering residents to take visible action against hate and discrimination by reclaiming public space as a platform for solidarity and affirmation.

Together, the campaign not only activated public spaces but also strengthened community connections, leaving behind both a lasting visual landmark and a deeper sense of collective belonging.