WCAAD Students Share Creative Ideas on “Stop Hate” Artworks

​An art Contest featuring “Stop Hate, Equal Opportunities, Ethnic Harmony, and Cultural Inclusion”, organized by California State Library, UNE News Express, KJC International Inc., concluded with 29 winners selected. 
 
Some of the student winners from West California Academy of Art and Design shared their creative ideas at the award ceremony, demonstrating their understanding of social justice and racial equity and equality through art works. 
 
Yoyo Ren won the LA County Board of Supervisors, 1st District Award

Yoyo Ren,15 years old: “The whole point of this art piece was to give a voice to the minority group who have been bullied to death because they have a different interests or sexual preferences than others. It’s breaking my heart every time I see these living examples. What is right and what is wrong can be decided by anyone. Therefore, I would like to participate in this “Stop Hate” drawing competition to give a voice for them. The original character in my artwork is a Taiwanese boy named Yongzhi Ye, who was bullied to death because he has different gender temperament from others. I want everyone in the world to feel safe and be themselves getting understood and supported. Also, I want to thank you to the organizers of this competition and Mrs. Wang's West California Academy of Art and Design, for giving me this opportunity to express my ideas.”

​Iris Jing won the CA State Treasurer Award

​Iris Jing, 17 years old: “Because the World Loves Me, I Will Love Me. Through the breaking of friendships and hateful rumors that spread like wildfire, there exist lonely wanderers like me, all trying to find a place to fit in and to be accepted. Coming from a Chinese immigrant family, I often feel like I am an outsider and could never fully belong in a single culture or social group. Everywhere I go, I find myself surrounded by discriminating people filled with anger, jealousy, and egocentric goals of tearing others up in order to satisfy their resentful hearts. Living in a social media age, their hateful words and pretentious messages are amplified by the amount of likes and comments on a pixelated screen. Pulling self-conscious young people deeper into a destructive cycle of turning to isolation for comfort—signified in the artwork by the car window protecting me from the world of chaos, their merciless words burning those wandering souls into a blackened abyss. But the sparks of warmth of nature’s embrace and those who truly love us always possess the magical strength to pull us out of our fear of being judged and rejected by society’s condemnatory eyes. I’ve realized through the covetous fire of hatred, there are kind and compassionate people that are willing to share their warmth. Their empathetic heart and compassion for the world seeps through candid words of compliments and encouragements portrayed in the artwork by the “kiss”. Though simple, these kind gestures can have the power to thaw the hearts of those who have lost hope in trying to find true friendships and acceptance. Everyone, even those who appear as unconventional, deserves to be loved—without shame or compromise. When the veil of bias and prejudice is lifted, and people realize that we are all just humans yearning for a piece of love, the cycle of hate will finally be terminated, and those who wander can finally find a way back home.”

​Katherine Kligys won the LA County Board of Supervisors, 1st District Award

Katherine Kligys,17 years old：”If unrestrained, hate is passed down like a disease from one generation to another. Prejudice often lingers within the very fabric of society, in the worldview presented by parents and teachers and countless figures of authority. This oil painting presents a sad reality: the expectation of motherhood thrust upon a young woman, who now holds the future of the next generation in her hands. But with this child comes two choices: to perpetuate harmful perspectives and burdens of ages past, or to break free from the clutches of the environment one has grown up in and foster open mindedness instead. Just as we, as a younger generation, must combat the injustice prevalent in society and our legal system, we must also ensure that we provide the next generation with the tools to do the same. Change multiplies and stigma can be erased, but we must take the first step.”

​Evelyn Tan won the CA State Treasurer Award

​Evelyn Tan，17 years old: “The stare of rumor：As technology progresses, humanity enters the Information Age, reaping vast benefits from information technology. No longer reliant on traditional methods like pen and paper or oral storytelling, our access to information has dramatically broadened. However, this advancement brings challenges. Online, anonymity prevails, masking genuine identities and emotions. The person in the picture seems like flesh and skin separated, with the skin resembling another face, as if a veil covers the original face. We must endeavor to reveal the beauty hidden beneath societal veils, encouraging authenticity. People express themselves freely, often without accountability, leading to pent-up frustrations and animosities. To unlock our inner beauty, we must prioritize transparent and responsible communication, fostering genuine connections and understanding.
      
In pursuit of viewership, media often sensationalizes news, leading apathetic individuals to become self-proclaimed arbiters of justice, passing judgments. People are blind, much like the eyes of this person sewn shut with needle and thread.People exhibit a strong herd mentality, closing their eyes to truth and unleashing pent-up anger as weapons. Unable to confront realities, many find solace online, aligning with uninformed masses to pass judgments from a position of authority, using the keyboard as their mouth, eyes of animosity, and weapon of attack. The power of language is immense; although it may not cause physical harm, it can inflict severe emotional wounds. Spit can drown people.
       
Many who harbor hatred towards others are pitiable; our lives resemble floating duckweed, rootless and adrift. We simply follow the current to avoid becoming targets of public scrutiny, regardless of the truth's revelation. Hatred distorts our essence; if innocence itself becomes a sin, this world would indeed be disappointing. Should we fail to cease our hatred, we'll perpetually harbor animosity towards others. Living in a world consumed by hatred is an undesirable prospect for us all.”

​Connie Zhao won the LA County Board of Supervisors, 1st District Award

​Connie Zhao，16 years old：“This piece I created revolves around the idea of verbal abuse - in a way where words can hurt someone because they are remembered. The subject of this piece is an overweight person, and that's okay; however, many societies all over the world often shame overweight people because they don't fit into the average beauty standard.  This is represented through the measuring ribbon that tightly wraps around her body which piles up on the top, almost choking the flowers that bloom. The flowers represent her beauty, but society overlooks her beauty because of her body weight. Furthermore, the ribbon tightly wraps around her entire body -- wanting it to be smaller. I purposely made the ribbon a measuring ribbon because watching as the numbers go up could cause insecurity, especially if you're mocked for those numbers. The words behind her represent what other people have said to her, pushing the signs of insecurity in this piece. Her gripping and hiding her stomach adds to that, too. 
 
Being confident and taking care of yourself should be the priority. There are so many people in the world who hate on others based on gender, sexuality, race, age, ethnicity, looks, and so much more. Words hurt, and they can be remembered for a very long time. All bodies are beautiful as long as the person is healthy, which is why I created this piece to raise awareness. As long as you're confident in yourself, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what other people say because you are enough.” 

​Gelila Chang won the LA County Board of Supervisors, 1st District Award

Gelila Chang，16 years old：“In the painting, the hands of two children rest on the globe, symbolizing the close connection and cooperation of humanity, transcending race and nationality. The Earth, being the focal point, highlights our shared home and collective responsibility. Most notably, a dove of peace soars above them, its wings outstretched as if to protect the world beneath. The dove, a universal symbol of peace and hope, reinforces the theme of ceasing hatred and pursuing peace. The artwork emanates a warm and potent sense of hope, encouraging people to rise above prejudices and hatred, and to work together towards a more beautiful and harmonious world.”

​Zhaoting Fang won the LA County Board of Supervisors, 1st District Award

Zhaoting Fong，17 years old：“I want to express the drawback of ‘hate’ through this poster, that is, ‘hate’ is an act of consuming oneself. For most people, ‘hate’ is usually based on some negative people and things, because they cause troubles and troubles in our lives, so ‘hate’ is generated. And this ‘hate’ is reasonable and normal. However, paying too much attention to ‘hate’ has become a kind of self-consuming behavior. We pay too much attention to this not positive emotion and ignore a lot of positive emotion. Even if we complete the so-called ‘revenge’, we can't get the positive emotional value we want. So I compare ourselves to paper towels. We use time and energy (pieces of paper towels) to entangle our ‘hate’, which shows that the obsession with ‘hate’ will devour ourselves. So please ‘stop hate’ and relax yourself.”

​Grace Liang won the San Gabriel Mayor Award

Grace Liang，10 years old：“Racial Equality and Value Diversity-- My drawing symbolizes racial equality, since all the different people in the drawing, whether they’re black or white or Asian or disabled, are having fun together. I think that racial equality means that all people and races get the same rights, no matter their outward appearance. I drew this drawing because I had drawn a similar drawing before, but with all of my friends sitting on a tree. I thought it would be perfect for people of all races to be on the tree, having fun and being friends. That’s what equality is, in my opinion— everyone having fun together and being friends. Stop hate!”

​Andy Liu won the Walnut Mayor Award

Andy Liu，8 years old: “Let’s Stop Hate! Be Kind to Everyone! I would like to tell you about why we should stop hate. First of all, you should stop hate because we all have feelings. You should treat people like you want them to treat you. Second of all, some people might have a very difficult experiences such as loosing parents, friends, and loved ones. Others might be struggling financially. We should give them kindness instead of hatred. In my drawing, I drew people from many different countries participating a zoom meeting. The topic is how to stop hate. Thanks to technology, we can talk to and learn from various people from different backgrounds. Let’s stop hate together. Let’s be kind to everyone!”

​Sophia Li won the San Gabriel Mayor Award

Sophia Li，12 years old: “What is hatred? Hatred can be caused by many things, such as racial discrimination, speaking ill of you behind your back, domestic violence and various reasons. Once I ate too much at school and others said I was like a pig. Then I started to control my diet and eat very, very little. They said, do you eat so little because your family has no money? So poor. There was another time when I took a test in school with 100 points. I told my friends that I got 100 points, and then they said there was nothing to be proud of. It was really not a problem, but I saw it on their papers only scored over 80 points, or even 50 points. A few days later we took the exam again. I failed this time and scored over 80 points. My friends started to laugh at me and said, ’Are you a pig?‘ You are so low, you are not as good as me, and then there are still people who say that shouldn’t Asian be smart? Why are you so stupid? You look like a stupid Asian. Another time I went out to play and saw a star on YouTube live broadcasting a poor man and gave money to give him clothes. I saw that after he finished filming, he took all the money and clothes away and only gave him a little food. Another time, a Japanese girl in our school created a very kawaii and poppy outfit, and everyone laughed. They said she looked like a one-year-old baby wearing such childish clothes. So I want to say here, don’t change yourself to accommodate others, because there is only one unique you in the world.”