Stop the Hate | Border Region

In response to a surge in hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the API Equity budget was enacted and the statewide Stop the Hate program was created. The program marks the largest investment of its kind to empower community-based organizations to address hate, repair harm and foster belonging.

Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties was selected as the regional lead for the Border Region, distributing grant funds to empower 27 community organizations to effectively implement the Stop the Hate program. They contracted Axiom of Purpose to create a comprehensive communications plan and outreach toolkit that all partners could use.

Axiom developed an outreach campaign in 2024, designed to provide solutions by answering the question, “How do we stop the hate?” The campaign gives people specific examples they need to answer the call, to heal, to move forward, to help us make the California we envision into a reality. The campaign toolkit contains 15 headlines and a suite of assets to accompany each one, that can be adapted for use by any of the partners.

The art direction takes on a vintage California feel with a throwback to 60’s era progress in spreading feelings of love and joy, the opposite of hate - juxtaposed with very modern photography representing our current diversity and inclusivity goals. The California poppy texture represents our state and our growth through the unifying work of our programs. The color palette will always be inspired by the photography, which allows for limitless adaptations.