Rise For Unity

Community safety

Central LA East LA South LA South Bay Long Beach

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

API’s are the fastest growing group in LA. Anti-Asian hate has re-surfaced since January, 2025. Tensions going back to the 1980s with other ethnic groups persist and are exacerbated in prison and/or gang life. APIs are committed at a younger age and serve longer sentences than other ethnic groups, so they “grow up” in a system where racialized violence is a norm. (Raymond Magsaysay, 2021)
In neighborhoods such as Long Beach, Carson, Mid-city, South Central, and East LA, inter/intra ethnic conflicts, economic scarcity, and government/media sanctioned racism contribute to perpetuating hate and violence between our communities. Teens receive their cues from adults, and unless they have opportunities to form relationships with “others,” the violence will continue generation to generation. This violence spills onto innocent families and communities. API RISE and our partners can effectively address the misguided violence because we have street credibility. Most well-meaning CBO’s do not.

API RISE is the only API Reentry program in LA. We have trusted partnerships with Black, LGBTQ, and Latine groups for cross-cultural learning. We will deepen and expand those partnerships while strengthening leadership, mediation, and de-escalation skills. Specifically:
WHAT Unity Training Cohort learning objectives/outcomes include demonstrated: a) de-escalation skills, b) trust-building communication skills, c) mediation skills, and d) knowing our distinct and shared histories. 
HOW Two cycles of 8 week, 2 hour weekly skills-building workshops. And, 2 peace gatherings; 2 healing circles; on-going social media unity building narratives (videos, testimonials, images, fact-sheets, etc.) resulting in 4 PSA’s that promote healing, unity, violence prevention, and “know your rights” information.
All partner organization cohort participants shall receive a stipend at the end of each month, and a certificate of completion if they participate in 7 of the 8 weeks. 
WHO API, Black, Latine, LGBTQ, and any (not just “system impacted”) marginalized individuals from trusted partner organizations such as Healing Urban Barrios, Queer Liberation, The Reverence Project in Watts, Black/API healing circle, the FOU Movement, Council of American Islam Relations, Young Women’s Freedom Center, HomeBoy Industries, etc. 
WHERE Determined by cohort participants. The location rotates so we can learn about each other’s neighborhoods.
WHEN Program begins after one-month of planning and preparation.

We recall the ‘92 LA uprising. Factors that contributed to that infamous moment exist today (see #6). 
Success measurements:
Inter/intra ethnic/gender spectrum unity is elevated/expanded in LA neighborhoods that have significant division
Cultural/affinity groups disseminate accurate information about one’s own group and other groups
Relationships are formed between individuals/groups who have a history of conflict
Formerly incarcerated API representation is significantly increased in justice spaces
PSA’s and other materials are disseminated to LA communities, officials/departments for wider distribution. (Eg. API RISE has a solid partnership with LA County Human Relations)
Longer-term scaling:
PSA’s and other unity materials are designed to be replicated or modified for other purposes 
Program findings inform API RISE’s on-going programming for longer-term unity building 
Participants take their knowledge and practices back to their organizations and communities and train others