Maya Angelou once said, “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”

In recent weeks and as Election Day approaches, we see and hear more and more rhetoric as individuals are invoking their Constitutional right to free speech. This month’s President’s Message is devoted to addressing the issue of hate speech, specifically, my response to a call to action by the National Conference of Bar Presidents who recently held a program titled “Standing Up to Hate: What Bars Can Say, What Bars Can Do.”

As bar leaders, we are often asked to speak out, but we owe an obligation to our members to first determine the appropriateness of whether to speak out on a controversial issue. We are often warned to stay within our purview.  

But something Reggie Shuford of the North Carolina Justice Center said really resonated with me and that was, “Hate is Everywhere.” He encouraged us to not only do more, but SAY more.

Another panelist had a similar point of view, expressing her belief that it is incumbent on all lawyers to have hard conversations regarding hate speech. Specifically, Carolyn Shapiro, a Constitutional Law Professor at Chicago Kent School of Law described illegal hate speech as having three categories:

• Incitement of imminent action
• Fighting words
• True threats

Professor Shapiro noted, in particular, that words we may have previously condoned as merely insensitive or not thoughtful, can be actually perceived by others as hate speech. And in those cases, as the President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Rahat Babar, stated, “we cannot sit idly by and say nothing.” As another panelist, Mark Rosenberg of Hillel, International suggested, “We have to learn how to get along in a democratic society. We have to learn to speak up.”

I am decidedly saddened to report that in 2023, hate crimes, including hate speech, in LA increased another 17% (slightly better than the 18% increase in 2022 when we saw the horrific surge in Anti-AAPI hate crimes). In 2023 the current majority of hate crimes in LA targeted African-American, Jewish, Muslim, and Trans-gender members of the Los Angeles community. We have got to take action to stop the hate speech we are exposed to on a daily basis.  

One of the ways WLALA chooses to take action is by bringing people together because when we do, we can have those challenging conversations. We can engage in meaningful discourse. We do not have to agree, but we do have to listen to each other’s perspectives and, more importantly, learn from them. And if I may say, we must persist in forcing these conversations and moving the ball forward. I strongly encourage you to attend any one of the wonderful WLALA events we have coming up in the month of October (please see the flyers below for details).

Please join me in helping to Stop the Hate. When you hear or see something, speak up. And, if you have no words, let your actions speak for you and vote on Election Day November 5, 2025. The last day to register to vote in LA County is October 21st.

Noelle Natoli
President, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angel