GPPR Podcast Editor Nhi Nguyen (MPM ’23) speaks to Don Han, the Director of Operations at Orange County Human Relations, and Norma Lopez, the Executive Director of the Human Relations Commissions. In this episode, Don and Norma discuss hate crime prevention and reporting, how they got into the work of hate prevention, and the county’s current prevention work.
“Hate prevention work [is] challenging because you’re trying to fix a problem as it’s happening. … Hate is very much an issue that has deep root causes, and it’s intersectional in so many different ways and at so many different levels.” — Norma Lopez
“The interethnic relations … should always be at the forefront in how we come together as united communities to fight hate. Asian American communities have been impacted heavily with hate incidents and hate crimes here in Orange County. But … other communities [said], ‘Hey, we’re here to support you all. We’re here to be in solidarity with you. And how do we improve?’” – Don Han
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Nhi Nguyen: Hi Everyone! Welcome back to the Georgetown Public Policy Review Podcast. My name is Nhi and I’m an interviewer for today’s podcast. Before coming to Georgetown, I served as a Hate Crime Prevention Coordinator for Orange County Human Relations and the county’s Human Relations Commission. I’m here with two incredible people, Don Han and Norma Lopez. Don Han is the Director of Operations at OCHR and Norma Lopez is the Executive Director of the Commissions. Today, we will learn more about their journey, how they got into the work of hate prevention, learn a bit more about the organization, and the county’s current prevention work. Welcome again, Don and Norma! To kick off our conversation, can you both tell the listeners a little bit about yourselves and what led you to Orange County Human Relations.
Norma Lopez: Thanks, Nhi for having us here. So excited to share this space with you. A little bit about myself. So, I’m a first gen Latina, and I’m born and raised in Orange County. So my commitment in, serving this county and community here comes – stems – from having lived and grown up in this wonderful community. I, you know, I went to school here, my family also started a life here. After I received my bachelor’s, I went off and explored the world outside of Orange County. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, and I quickly learned that I wanted to give back and find ways to open doors to support other folks who might not have a voice in places where decisions are being made, where policies that impact their everyday lives, they’re not represented, and it took a long way (chuckle) upon, you know, coming back to the states from my service.
Lopez: I worked at a wonderful organization such as the Girls Scout and Children’s Bureau, and I had the incredible opportunity to earn my master’s through the National Urban Fellows program and came back home, and I found OCHR. I had met Don in a previous role mostly just sharing space at the Children’s Bureau and learned a little bit about what they did, and once I got back, I found that the mission really aligned with what I wanted to do, and with just where I needed to be in that moment. It’s been eight years since I started with OCHR, and it’s been an incredible journey. And honestly, it’s, it’s – it really is a home away from home because there’s a whole lot of talented and passionate people. They’re really working towards social equity and social justice and uplifting the voices that usually are not uplifted. And they’re finding ways to make sure that we’re creating a society of belonging and really combating and trying to disrupt the cycle of hate that continues to plague us.
Lopez: It’s such an honor and privilege to be in this space with you know, you who were part of our team, but also folks like Don and the rest of our colleagues.
Don Han: That’s awesome, Norma. Thank you. Thank you Nhi for this opportunity. So, my name is Don Han, and I am a refugee here to this country over forty years ago. So (clears throat), over forty years ago my family and I escaped the communist government from Laos, went into a refugee camp in Thailand, and had the opportunity to be sponsored to the United States. And that was a profound experience. One of the very pivotal experiences I remember when our family got moved from the first refugee camp to the second refugee camp because we had been accepted to be sponsored to come to the United States. And the purpose of that camp was really to learn about US society, what’s it like to live in the United States, and try to learn English at the same time.
Han: I remember the picture that was painted for us, that the United States is the land of opportunity, the dream, the third – what we called the third country – or the home, the new home. Third country meaning that our first country that we escaped, you know left, second country, which is Thailand, our host country, and the third country is the destination, right? And so we’re all excited – spending months learning about our new home and what it is gonna look like.
Han: Shockingly, when we arrived to San Francisco International Airport, it was pretty cold. It was in the middle of February for us coming from Southeast Asia to the Bay Area in Northern California. It’s pretty cold, and we were put in quarantine for a week in some kind of, complex place where we stayed there for a week, and after a week, our sponsor came and picked us up and took us to our new home. We’re excited, and on the arrival to our new home, we realized that the communities look a lot different than what we saw in the film. First and foremost, no one here in the community is white. So, everyone in our community is African American, so we were living in a housing project in Southwest Oakland and among few other refugees’ families.
Han: Right away we know that it’s gonna be different, and it’s gonna be challenging. And again, that’s the first time that we actually experienced being othered – othering concept – folks telling us to go back home and that you don’t belong here. A couple years later we moved down to Southern California – here particularly in Santa Ana, Orange County – and again living among others in an apartment complex, among other immigrants and refugees. And we tried to settle into our new home, and often continued to experience, you know, what Norma has shared earlier – a moment of discriminatory comments or harassment. It was hard; it was very challenging because as for refugees, we already know that like we’re not going back. You know, we’re here for good, right? And at the same time, how do we fit in?
Han: I know that in the early 1980s, the concept of assimilation and trying to assimilate as fast as you can so you look like others, right? Learn the language and learn the trade and whatnot, right? It’s been a journey, and my journey was in college. In college, I’ve always wanted to give back. I’ve always said, “How do, how do I give back so people who are like me that are coming here or been here – doesn’t have to experience what we went through?”
Han: Senior year in college, I started looking for internships, and I found this place called OC Human Relations, and funny enough, when I came for an interview, it was like, the office was literally across the street from the neighborhood I grew up in. Mini street, the apartment, and that young woman who interviewed me also grew up in that neighborhood. When she said, “You are accepted to be part of our internship,” I was so excited, and I started volunteering for the work, realizing that wow maybe this is something that I can do for a long time because this is the space where it allowed me to share my lived experiences with others that is willing to listen. Now I’m supporting as [the] Operations Director.
Nguyen: Thank you Don, and thank you Norma for sharing with the listeners a little bit about your lived experiences and how that led you to the work that you all do today. For our next question, and for those who don’t know, I know that we mentioned the organization a little bit – can you tell us a little bit more about OCHR and the commission itself, so, the Orange County Human Relations Commission?
Lopez: The Orange County Human Relations Commission was founded in 1971, and it was an official governmental commission that was created by the Board of Supervisors in collaboration with the Orange County Division of the League of California Cities. The intent behind that was, there were peripheral events happening that really led to the establishment of this body and trying to be preventative of violence and all the riots that were happening.
Lopez: The mission of the commission is to seek out the causes of tension and conflict, discrimination and intolerance, in an attempt to eliminate those causes. Throughout the years, what the commission has done or has had the capacity or authority to do has changed, but most of the roles of this commission is to discuss, you know, the matters that are appropriate and about the different social issues that might be affecting the communities in the county.
Lopez: There’s been times where it has engaged in research, and put out research reports. There’s been times where there’s been a response to a specific crisis in the community and having to lead some type of effort to bring people together to discuss and find solutions. There’s been instances where there’s programs that have had to come out as a measure of continuity and sustainability to a response to a crisis, and there’s a couple of different programs that started at the commission level and you know, that through time we found – this needs to continue and needs a more stable source of income, funding, and now they live under the Human Relations Council, the nonprofit. That’s how the nonprofit came about.
Lopez: So, in 1991, the nonprofit, OC Human Relations Council was established. Our founder, with the support of and even guidance of some county folks, said, “You know, there might be a possibility to be able to expand the reach and really do a little bit more support in the preventative side of the work that the commission is doing. And in establishing this private-public partnership, you’d be able to sustain a lot more of the programs than you might ever be able to on your county funding.” And that’s how the council was established.
Lopez: Now, when you compare both the commission and the council, their missions align, but the work has changed a lot. The council does a lot more now than what it could’ve been doing if it continued to be a county type of project. Specifically, to the commission, the commission currently does more of the focus around hate crime response, tracking and reporting, crisis response, whether it is a bias-related type of incident that is high profile and garnered a lot of attention. We usually reach out and provide support there. And the small part of prevention versus also community education is going out and doing workshops, presentations, holding different spaces, creating different dialogue spaces for folks to process, for folks to be able to connect, and then hopefully, lean into more work around healing. In a nutshell, that’s how our organization came to be.
Han: The support from the council is very unique here in Orange County. Because for the council, we are able to function and operate as a nonprofit that gives us the ability to seek different funding revenues to support our work that the county may not have the capacity to support fully, right? Which [in turn], is also supporting the county because we’re doing the same work that is representing and supporting Orange County in general. Especially when we do work that [is] long-term. For example, at schools, [the] BRIDGES program has been working with school communities here for 30 years. Some schools have been with us for a couple of decades, so what that means is that the sustainability of the program to shift or continue to enhance the positive culture, you know, the inclusive culture for each school campus that we work with, is long-term, not just a one-shot deal and we’re fading away.
Han: We all know that especially in high school, you have a wave of four years. Students come in, four years later hopefully they successfully graduate and move on, and then we have a whole new wave that comes in, right? That work itself changes people’s lives, and when you have a positive impact of teaching young people to support the effort to prevent hate, then as they grow and move on somewhere, they take that with them. You know, we have students that are, like yourself, that come in here, that are actually on the east coast, and they’re reflecting on the work that they’ve done with us and they’re using that in their own community or the community that they’re in at that moment. And many of them actually return home, and we have recently, or have been, hiring our former students to be part of our team and continue to do this work. That has always been a rewarding experience to have.
Han: But I, I love what, the way this direction is going now with this partnership, especially in the last couple of years that the support the county is providing, extra support, and the way we are adjusting and improving our programs and expanding our programs.
Han: Unfortunately, we have this pandemic, and it forces us to do things virtually. And fortunately, with the discovery that we can do things virtually, some of our work has even been able to expand outside of Orange County. You know, we have done some, you know, DEI training even outside of Orange County – the East Coast, you know? So these are the things that we’re learning and improving, as we are trying to do our best.
Nguyen: Thank you Don, and thank you Norma. As folks can tell, there’s an extensive and exhaustive list of programmatic work that is being done under OCHR and in partnership with the commission. A lot of us recognize that the work of hate prevention isn’t easy, and you two have been at OCHR for quite some time. When you think back to your journey at this organization and within this work, what is your aha moment or a reason that keeps you going?
Han: My aha moment was, especially when I was serving in the role of Hate Crime Prevention Coordinator, and part of that job was to respond to a hate crime or to reach out to an individual, someone who has been impacted by a hate crime or hate incident. I usually would get a call from a law enforcement agency, who was responding to a hate crime, and say, “Hey, we’re responding to a hate crime and the person, or the family, or the person who has been impacted by this event would like to be connected to your agency and to the resources available for them.” So, you’d pick up the call. And I’d say, “My name is Don, and I am calling you from the Orange County Human Relations Commission or OC Human Relations. First and foremost, I am sorry that you have to experience this incident, or this hate crime. I want you to know that Orange County is here to support you and to make sure that you aren’t experiencing this alone, and you do have the support.”
Han: Once you finish that sentence, individuals usually ask, “Why me? What did I do? Why did I become the victim of hate?” And, when you get that similar question [being] asked over and over again by folks that have been impacted, you kind of feel like, hey, there’s a need for us to do this work, unfortunately. But most fortunately is that the recipient of our efforts appreciates that there is someone reaching out to them at the moment of their most vulnerable time.
Han: I recently talked to a person who had been impacted by a hate crime. That person shared with me that that outreach was very meaningful for her because she was at the stage of vulnerability, and her mental health was at a state where she just didn’t know where to trust or who to trust. Being able to have a conversation and connect her with our colleagues that she could rely on – and that gave her hope, you know? And, and I feel that the aha moment for us is that we do have a role that we can create a positive impact for someone that needs that support.
Lopez: You’re right, Nhi. Hate prevention work, I think like any other type of prevention work, whether it is from the service provider industry, it’s challenging because you’re trying to fix a problem as it’s happening. There’s an intersection of different things at play, that perpetuate the issue at hand. Hate is very much an issue that has deep root causes, and it’s intersectional in so many different ways and at so many different levels. So sometimes it could be very taxing to – we, we always go in and do the response, the day to day, the support of the victims, the reporting, the bringing to light, [and] uplifting voices. You find some type of renewed energy in being able to create those spaces for folks who otherwise wouldn’t have the ability to tell their story or feel safe enough to say, “Look this is happening to me,” because historically, they’ve never been listened to, they’ve been shut down, or there’s been fear instilled in speaking up – and that’s a win.
Lopez: When you begin to try and uncover or unpack the source, that’s where it becomes challenging, and it sucks the energy out of you because there’s so many elements, so many players, and folks that you know should be at the table, but they don’t want to be. Sometimes they don’t want to hear it, others, like I said, haven’t been given the opportunity to be at the table, to be part of creating the solutions.
Lopez: What keeps me coming back is the fact that OC Human Relations brings staff and people, who are invested in this work – that bring their 110% to the table. And not only that, but as an organization, our leadership has explicitly championed that we bring our whole selves to the table, no judgment, right? That there’s no wrong answers. That, if you’re an outlier, you’re not an outlier here. Because we’re all outliers, and when you work under that type of leadership, when you find a place where you feel heard, where you feel empowered, it just keeps feeding that fire of coming back every day no matter what barriers or challenges you’re gonna face that day. It keeps bringing you back because you know that you have an organization that has your back, and you have colleagues that have your back and that are in trenches and know the struggles, but are still here every day battling it out. That’s why I can proudly say that this is my eighth year here at OCHR.
Lopez: Hopefully, one day we’ll cease to exist because we’ve all done our jobs, and we’ve brought people along to fight with us, and we’ve found the key. Until then, we need to connect more. We need to make sure that we are expanding and bringing others who want to make the world a better place and who are willing to roll up their sleeves and say, “We’re going to have to do this together.”
Nguyen: Thank you Norma, and thank you Don for both sharing your aha moments. I now want to shift our conversation over to the current hate prevention efforts in Orange County. In 2021, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a one million dollar contract to expand the anti-hate programs in Orange County. Can you walk us through the expansion and the changes in the county, and some of the current challenges in the work of hate prevention?
Lopez: Definitely. So, as you’ve already mentioned, in 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved a one million dollar contract to expand the work that my staff had already been doing. The expansion itself focused in three different areas, and this was based on input that we gathered from the communities through listening sessions and convenings. And when we were trying to identify what the gaps were, these were the three areas that came up every single time.
Lopez: One of them was accessibility – language. The language barrier. So, one of the areas that we looked at was, how is that we are able to expand our capacity in terms of folks being able to access our reporting sites that were culturally and language competent. Our outreach materials – that they were language and culturally adapted and competent. So, really taking this multicultural, multilingual, diverse lens and applying it across all of our efforts. Specifically, how folks could report.
Lopez: The second arena was the identification and common knowledge that hate activity is underreported. There [are] so many different reasons for that, but one, like I mentioned earlier, was how accessible is it for folks to be able to report incidents to us or law enforcement, and so, with that what we did was we improved our database and our reporting forms. We were able to partner with our local 211, who already had a network established, who already had a call center established, and it was really building out a database to collect data specific to hate activities in Orange County. Being able to have different ways to report, so everything from using an online form to texting to calling, and that every single time someone reports, they’re able to access all of this in the language that they needed.
Lopez: The last piece for us was, how do we increase awareness, specifically in some of our high-targeted communities that were really difficult to access. With that, we were able to look and partner with different community-based organizations who serviced specific cultures or diverse communities in Orange County, who were service providers who could meet those threshold languages, those cultural competencies, but that also had a reach in certain communities that needed the information, that needed to become aware about the importance of reporting, but also that there are resources at the end of that. That they could get help. And the element that was important for us there was too, how do we improve the way we supported our victims.
Lopez: Depending on how that hate, that bias-motivated hate activity is being labeled, some folks have more access to resources than others. And for us, regardless of whatever category it fell under, we wanted to make sure that folks felt supported, that folks didn’t feel isolated, and that they can report from whatever comfort zone that they are in, and they didn’t necessarily need to go to a space where they didn’t feel safe to do so, and that there will always be someone there to support and guide. That’s really been the focus around the expansion, and thus far, creating this new database and accessibility has really shown a difference in the number of reports we’re getting, which means it has increased unfortunately. I mean, it’s a good thing, but it’s also a bad thing in terms of that this is real, this is happening, and at the same time there have been things we’ve learned in the process. Because now there’s other types of challenges that we’re uncovering with this expansion, right?
Lopez: It’s creating pathways now for other communities who might’ve been ignored, might’ve reported but didn’t receive the support as they should. How do we engage in real conversations with the targeted communities about preventative work? And I, I think that’s been, that’s where we are right now. That’s the challenge that we are facing. Because most of the funding and most of our work has lived in the response arena. Crisis response – we respond to a report being made. How do we support those people, the victims? And it’s only a subset of the work that needs to be done.
Lopez: Prevention is the area where we have yet, at least in the commission work, have yet to be able to really explore and cement in our programs and projects which is some discussions that we’re having internally, in our team, on how do we begin to have those conversations where we get those commitments from different entities to not only the response piece, but how do we engage in these conversations about you know being an upstander or bystander? How do we begin to shift the narratives and the way that we speak about each other, the way that we interact with each other? How do we begin the process of healing? That means that there has to be some tough conversations that need to happen to be able to get to that place, but it’s the willingness, I think, and not only that, but also it takes resources, it takes people, and that’s the other challenging part. There’s so much more that we could be doing, but we are at capacity with our staff, and in order for us to do that, we need more people, and in order to do that, we need more funding. So, I’ll stop there and Don – you can give your point of view.
Han: No, I think you covered all of it. I know that, you know, with the current challenge of the work – unfortunately, in the last five years or so, the rising trend in hate crime numbers. It’s been on a rise, and it hasn’t slowed down, you know? And I think that, at the local level at least, we’re trying to do our best to focus on prevention and the root causes of that, which Norma’s team has been doing a very good job about. How do we continue to do the work that will prevent [it]? Our goal is that we don’t have to respond, right? The less responding we have to do, the better. Lots of folks might not understand that it takes a ten-fold effort or more to do prevention than reaction. Sometimes those works are not always visible. It’s not always glamorous to have, what we call, a human relations dialogue – talking about finding common ground, talk[ing] about what it’s like to create a safe and inclusive community, [and] for us, what it’s like to create an Orange County where people feel like they do belong here.
Han: Sometimes people don’t even want to engage in that type of conversation. Because, like what Norma said, it can get exhausting, right? They wait until something happens, but once you wait until something happens, it’s too late. We have to be proactive.
Nguyen: Thank you Norma for sharing more about the expansion work and what’s currently being done. And thank you Don for adding to that. I know that you both talked about some of the existing challenges that include staffing and getting the support and funding. Are there other things that you two believe is necessary to overcome those obstacles to hate prevention today that those who are listening can consider, engage, and think through to support the effort?
Han: Early on in the pandemic, there were slogans that talked about [how] we’re all in it together. Hate is hate. We live in a very diverse community here in Orange County, and we’re very proud to have this diverse community. We should not see the trend for hate crime against one community as isolations or as a one-off. If it impacts one community, it impacts all of us.
Han: The interethnic relations or the intergroups or intersections, should always be at the forefront in how we come together as united communities to fight hate. 2020 here in Orange County – from 2020 on – Asian American communities have been impacted heavily with hate incidents and hate crimes here in Orange County. But we also had other communities step in and say, “Hey, we’re here to support you all. We’re here to be in solidarity with you. And how do we improve?”
Han: I think that’s a level of unity that sometimes is not always captured in our media or social media – or the good things that are happening. There’s an awareness of the community effort, and you know, I think, it’s been here, this type of work has been here for decades. People don’t sometimes recognize that. Unfortunately, the media picks up some things that could be somewhat divisive, and it’s such a flash, right? People see the news and they’re like, “Oh that’s happening!” But there was a lot behind that split second that was out there that people don’t talk about, and we sometimes don’t have an opportunity to talk about, right?
Han: I feel like to overcome that challenge, we have to continue to be okay with sharing information, be transparent, be in communication constantly, and uplifting each other as a community. And at the same time, if there’s something that happened, we have to be out there to support each other.
Lopez: Don brings up a very important point that I think we at OCHR try to really push, and it’s about solidarity, allyship, [and] how you show up. Hate, hate crimes, or hate incidents traumatize not only the individuals that are targeted, but as Don mentioned, it stigmatizes communities and it divides societies. And when we’re talking about the intersectionality of hate, you know, we point out the marginalized communities that are being targeted for so many different identities, right? And they overlap, and they reinforce one another. And with that, it reinforces some old hatreds that kind of historically continued to be perpetuated.
Lopez: The Othering and Belonging Institute does amazing work around this concept of othering, and at OCHR we, in the past two years, have really been following the work and the research. And how is it that we’re able to really take that practice of breaking us, dividing us, pitting us against each other to a more constructed arena of bridging? And that’s what we need, right? As a community, we have to recognize that when one community is targeted, we’re all being targeted. This is all, you know, when they say – it’s not one more than the other, it’s not one more suffering than the other – we can’t see each other as adversaries. We actually have to come together, so we begin to pull away from that false narrative of us versus them. That you know, because when we start using those terminologies, we begin to dehumanize each another. And the moment that we begin to dehumanize each another, that’s when violence comes in. That’s when things like what happened in Colorado this weekend happen – and so much more.
Lopez: So, when this manufactured term of “other” becomes structural, it’s really difficult to then say how do I relate to other groups, who might be facing the same challenges. Really, there hasn’t been a space where we are able to come together to see each other on the same platform, and that’s where we need folks to understand and unite. We need to do deep listening. We have to create those empathetic spaces, and the recognition of suffering – the recognition that we all, we have these challenging lived experiences that might be the same, but in the end, whoever perpetuated it was from the same end, right, of creating this division.
Lopez: So that way we begin to reject and recognize our unique differences, and in that, we’re able to hopefully break that cycle of oppression and misinformation, and build, co-create spaces where we all, you know, there’s justice, there’s equity, there’s diversity, and we all belong. But you know there are so many levels to be able to do that, and if folks are able to do some of the internal learning to then be able to impart that through their community and bring together, it’s really going to begin drive some of that change and the narrative that sometimes is very hurtful, if we continue to use some of the language that we have.
Nguyen: Thank you Norma, and thank you Don. If you can both reimagine the world, what would it look like then to you two?
Han: I think that, for me, reimagining the world is very difficult to do. I just imagine what I can do in my capacity, in my piece. And part of me is that, I hope that I could share some of my experience or my knowledge, or learn knowledge from other folks and share their experiences and knowledge, and at the same time, being kind and compassionate for our environment, either our physical environment or emotional environment, or space that we’re in ways that continue to do less harm. I’m a nature person, so when I go out on a hike or visit a park or places like that, I’m going to be mindful of where I even step, to make sure that I’m not stepping on a new grown plant that could nourish this plane, right? And at the same time, if I’m in a space where if I’m a facilitator, for example, I want to be mindful that the people in the room are safe and they can have a place to be authentic, even for just a moment. So, in that way, whatever work that they are leaving [things] in a better state than they were in. I hope the world can continue to take small steps like that. Can we all collectively do that, then hopefully we’ll get better?
Lopez: I think about a world where we uplift and we respect human dignity, that’s sort of our guide. How is it that we are valuing and revaluing some of, you know, people’s innate human dignity? How is that a world where someone has access to what it is they need to be able to live a safe life where they feel they can accomplish their dreams? And that in we’re able to share resources equitably, where we’re not having to fight for basic human needs – water, food, housing, that folks are able to access them equitably. We don’t have to agree on everything, but that there’s harmony, right? To be respectful, to beg to differ, but reimagining how is it that we’re able to deal with conflict, when there is conflict, and not resort to hate, not resort to violence, but that we are able to do it in a harmonious way. That’s the world that I, that’s how I would reimagine the world.
Nguyen: Thank you, you two. I know that the possibility exists, and that we can really create a world that centers compassion, love, and empathy. My last and hardest question for you both is if someone would like to learn more about OC Human Relations, where can they go to get more information.
Han: It would be www.ochumanrelations.org. That’s our website.
Nguyen: Thank you Don. Thank you again to Don and Norma for joining me on today’s episode. Be sure to check out www.ochumanrelations.org for more information about the incredible work that they’re all doing. Thank you again for listening to the Georgetown Public Policy Review podcast. I hope you enjoyed our conversation, and if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and check out more from GPPR at gppreview.com. Thank you.
Don Han, Director of Operations, has been with OCHRC since 2001. Prior to becoming the Director of Operations, Don was the Hate Crime Prevention Program Coordinator who also responds to reported hate crimes and hate incidents in the county. In his time with OCHR Don has worked with the BRIDGES team. He has authored the agency‘s Hate Crime Report and provided Hate Crime training. Don serves on the Board of the California Association of Human Relations Organization (CAHRO), and was a former chair of GLSEN’s Orange County Chapter and a former Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Santa Ana. He earned a Sociology Degree from Cal State Fullerton, is a Certified Mediator, speaks Lao and Thai.
Norma Lopez, (she/ella) Commission Director, joined the OC Human Relations team in late 2014 and became Commission Director in 2016. She serves as executive support staff to the Human Relations Commission and leads the Community Building Team. Norma’s life and career choices have led her to many different places, and it has allowed her to experience life in different parts of the world while learning the lives of people from their own perspective. Norma is bilingual and bicultural with Salvadoran cultural roots. She earned a Bachelor’s in International Studies from University of La Verne and a Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College – The City University of New York (CUNY).
Established in 1995, the Georgetown Public Policy Review is the McCourt School of Public Policy’s nonpartisan, graduate student-run publication. Our mission is to provide an outlet for innovative new thinkers and established policymakers to offer perspectives on the politics and policies that shape our nation and our world.
