“It makes a difference in how people feel, how they look at themselves,” Woods, an ally, said. “We’re a huge community, so why not do something for somebody else?”

Like Woods, many hair stylists and salons across Southern California are leading the charge in centering LGBTQ+, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people, at a time when these communities’ rights and gender-affirming care are being challenged nationwide.

Gender-affirming care — which includes medical care, mental health, social and even cosmetic services — can include any care or approach people get to transition themselves, and their bodies, to fit with their gender identity.

In 2023, states like Florida, Texas, and at least 15 others have passed laws that either restrict or outright ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and severely limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people, according to a tracking map by the Human Rights Campaign. At least 35% of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on care. Over 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted this year; 15 of which banned gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Advocates hope people in these diverse communities know that there are resources available, especially if they are a person of color, queer or trans — groups that are historically underserved in health care and within the beauty industry, they say.

Woods, who owns her own salon in Loma Linda called BeUti 4 Ashes, took part in a recent event in the Inland Empire that provided free gender-affirming haircuts and styles for college students.

The second annual Queer Cuts, held at Cal State University San Bernardino on Oct. 18, brought in local stylists to provide gender-affirming haircare, in a safe environment, for free.

“I always say, ‘We always start with our crown’,” said Woods, who styled braids, locs — different from dreadlocks — and silk presses for natural hair, at the event. “So you start with your hair and if your hair looks good and feels good to you, everything else will fall in place.”

Lee Stovall, the coordinator of Cal State San Bernardino’s Queer and Transgender Resource Center, founded Queer Cuts on campus in 2022, where nearly 80 students received free haircuts, braids or locs. Stovall, who uses she and they pronouns, said the goal is to give students a “space where they can come and get essential services in a space that feels gender-affirming.”

Gender-affirming services, which are most often associated with transgender and nonbinary people, can include hormones or surgeries, such as top surgery, which aligns people’s bodies with their gender identity. Stovall said that someone getting a haircut and wardrobe that “feels more them” can help a lot with their sense of self, and is less permanent for those who want to “explore gender,” but don’t yet want surgeries.

Gender-affirming services are also not exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community, Stovall said. For example, a cisgender woman waxing her facial hair can be seen as gender-affirming.

At this year’s Queer Cuts, 32 students — of which 23 identified as trans, nonbinary or gender-nonconforming — were given haircare services, according to Stovall. Many who attended said they felt both valued and seen.

Ariz Martinez, a fourth-year liberal studies major, said she had been stressed with balancing school, her job and social activities, and hadn’t had time to get her hair done or practice self-care in a year. She said it was “meant to be” that the Queer Cuts event happened when it did.

“I feel like life has gotten to me lately,” Martinez said. “I feel so much better, I feel happy I brought myself today… The stylist was really nice, which made me feel better because I was really nervous about coming.”

Stovall said that getting services can be “really tough,” especially for queer and transgender people, because “just doing things that align with your gender identity can be really scary for folks.”

But removing any financial, psychological and emotional barriers is important to ensure overall comfort and safety, especially for youth, Stovall said. Having inclusive amd accessible events — like on a college campus — that advocate for these communities, while celebrating and affirming them, is essential.

“It’s a scary time to be queer and trans right now,” Stovall said.

Like Stovall, many LGBTQ+ people and allies worry about safety, especially with the recent influx of laws they say explicitly discriminate against them.

Over the summer, the Supreme Court ruled that a religious web designer in Colorado can’t be forced to create wedding websites for same-sex couples under the First Amendment. The ruling outraged many LGBTQ+ communities and allies, worrying that it could set a new legal precedent.

In response to growing anti-LGBTQ legislation reported around the U.S., California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed several laws that protect LGBTQ+ students and their privacy. They include AB 233, the Transgender Youth Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of minors applying to legally change their gender or sex identification by sealing those court records. Newsom also signed SB 345, which protects insurance providers against the enforcement of other states’ laws that criminalize or limit reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care.

This past summer, L.A. County officials created a new LGBTQ+ Commission to expand gender-affirming care and programming.

Psychologists and health experts say that, while not a one-size-fits-all approach, finding gender-affirming care — particularly for many vulnerable transgender and nonbinary people — can save lives.

In California, 44% percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 54% of transgender and nonbinary youth, according to The Trevor Project’s most recent survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health. Gender-affirming care is associated with positive mental health and overall well-being, and reduces overall suicide risk, researchers said. Major medical associations – including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics – concur that gender-affirming care is clinically appropriate for children and adults.

“Gender-affirming care is healthcare,” said Madia Lopez, executive director of ProjectQ, an L.A.-based nonprofit that specializes in providing free gender-affirming haircare and community resources.

“When it comes to trans folks, we have we have a bit more of a struggle because we’re not only having to fight against the external view of who we are and how we show up in the world,” Lopez said, “but we also have to struggle with the internal.”

Breaking the binary

Hair stylists around Southern California said they felt proud to be a part of a community that helps people feel safe — while helping them step into and become more themselves on the outside.

Tustin resident and stylist Brenna McCarthy, who works at Studio Cru in Orange, has always made it a goal to provide a safe, open space for queer, trans and gender-nonconforming clientele. McCarthy said that can be challenging when options are “limited.”

“People are looking for specific queer stylists within Orange County, and there’s not a lot of spaces for that,” McCarthy, 30, said. “The biggest thing I love about my job is being able to help people match their outside appearance with the way that they feel on the inside.”

McCarthy said she’s often one of the first — and sometimes only — stylists to ask clients their pronouns, an effort to normalize using gender-neutral language and avoid assumptions.

With inclusive salons or programs like Queer Cuts or ProjectQ, “people come to you because this is the safest spot that they can be in,” she added. “They’re being so vulnerable with you and trusting you with their appearance.”

Stylist Bec Farrell, who works at Gray Area in Riverside and uses they and them pronouns, said that an important part of providing a safe environment is working at a shop that is accepting of gender-nonconforming people. Some barber shop environments, they said, “can be very intimidating and toxic for queer people.”

But Farrell believes that getting a haircut, where one usually connects with their stylist, can be equivalent to a therapy session.

“Hair holds trauma, in my opinion,” Farrell said. “Anytime I felt like I needed to start anew, I’ve shaved my head and that helps me embrace a new chapter in life. I wanted to really break the binary in hair, because hair doesn’t have a gender.”

“Whether you decide to have a gender or not, your hair has nothing to do with it. It’s just an extension of you expressing yourself and how you want to present yourself to the world,” Farrell said.

Fighting transphobia

Each year, more LGBTQ-owned entrepreneurs and allies are advertising as such, and research shows that their businesses are thriving.

In L.A., LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs contribute around $1.24 billion in funding, according to the latest State of LGBTQ Entrepreneurship report from nonprofit StartOut, which supports LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.

Providing gender-affirming services not only creates safe, inclusive spaces, they can also drive the economy and are overall beneficial for LGBTQ+ communities.

Some stylists, who have shared their experiences with hate, are finding ways to empower their communities — one hairstyle at a time — at a time when people need it most.

Longtime stylist Jessie Santiago has experienced incidents of homophobia, racism and transphobia at her business, Salon Benders near downtown Long Beach. The salon has been targeted repeatedly with hate mail and vandalism, Santiago said.

“For the past five years, we have been infiltrated by a ton of hate. I’ve had restraining orders put out against people. I’ve had to basically keep my doors locked during business hours at all times,” Santiago, 40, said. “It’s just gotten to the point that I just don’t feel safe anymore.”

With Salon Benders, Santiago wanted to provide a safe and “revolutionary” space for queer, trans and gender-nonconforming people. She identifies as queer and has a trans partner.

In October, Santiago closed Salon Benders for security reasons. She plans to open a new private salon, the Benders Collective Art Studio, in Long Beach before 2024. She also hopes to start a podcast where participating clients can share their experiences and stories while getting their hair done.

One of the things that Santiago felt made her business stand out was the salon’s consultation style and “trauma-informed” approach, created with the help of a trained and licensed trauma therapist. Providing gender-affirming haircuts was something she focused on in her salon and required training from all her stylists.

“It involves understanding the person holistically, not just their hair,” she said. “It has to do with understanding what their gender identity is, and how we could help support that through their hair and wellness. It’s not just asking clients for a photo of what they want.”

Gender-affirming haircuts was something Santiago prioritized in her business.

“Providing affirmation as a person is so incredibly important, especially to younger folks, because they need to see themselves reflected in this world,” Santiago said. “For us, it was just really important to create more representation, more reflection of our community out in the world.”

Here are salons and resources in Southern California that provide gender-affirming haircare and services. They include:

• Gray Area: 3750 Main St, Riverside, 951-370-4145
• Bishops Cuts/Color: Various locations including Pasadena, Lake Forest and Irvine, bishops.co
• Studio Cru: 665 N Tustin St Suite A-114, Orange, 714-453-7741
• Benders Collective Art Studio: Private salon in Long Beach, opening in 2024
• BeUti 4 Ashes: 25051 Redlands Blvd., Loma Linda, 909-674-3046
• Strandsfortrans.org is a global network of hair, beauty and wellness organizations that seek to create safe, gender-affirming experiences
• ProjectQ: 4709 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, 323-407-6676
• Bang Bang L.A.: 4511 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 310-893-9856

Staff writers Beau Yarbrough and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report. 

At the first community webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 25, organizers will discuss addressing racial slurs in schools. The online event begins at 6 p.m.

In 2022, 27% of reported hate crimes and incidents took place at schools, according to the latest Orange County Hate Crimes Report. The county saw 450 hate crimes and incidents last year, with more than half of those “motivated by race, ethnicity or national origin bias,” according to the report.

Other topics in the virtual series include understanding DEI, different levels of racism, de-escalating conflict, exploring implicit biases, and combating toxic masculinity.

The series will run monthly until July 2024. Each webinar will be recorded and available for viewing up to a week after airing.

Groundswell organizers issued a statement “urging vigilance and care” after the Oct. 14 death of Illinois Palestinian American boy Wadea Al-Fayoume, who was killed in what police determined a hate crime.

Marginalized communities “continue to be harmed with misinformation and political rhetoric,” the Oct. 19 statement read. “We want to share resources to better prepare our communities against hate and bigotry… Violence only leads to more violence and diminishes the possibilities of dialogue and reconciliation.”

As part of Groundswell’s services and trainings, officials said to be on the lookout for upcoming hate prevention programs.

To report a hate incident, you can fill out a form online at hatecrime.211oc.org, email ochateactivity@211oc.org, call 2-1-1 and press #6, or text OCHATEACTIVITY to 898211 to receive a direct link.

For more information and to register for the “Shaping Tomorrow” series, visit wearegroundswell.org/shaping-tomorrow-series.

The Greater Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) and community partners organized Tuesday’s vigil, held at the Islamic Center of Orange County, to honor Al-Fayoume and all victims of Islamophobia and war, organizers said in a news release.

Al-Fayoume was stabbed 26 times last Saturday, Oct. 14 by his family’s landlord in Plainfield Township, Illinois, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. Police said the suspect also stabbed Al-Fayoume’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, who is hospitalized and fighting for her life, and reportedly missed her son’s funeral on Monday.

Will County officials determined the attack was a hate crime, and said the suspect targeted Al-Fayoume and his mother “due to them being Muslim, and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

CAIR-LA officials said Tuesday’s vigil was, so far, the only local event specifically honoring Al-Fayoume. Numerous Israeli and Palestinian peace vigils and rallies have been held over the last week and around the world, with many calling for the end of innocent deaths after attacks in both Gaza and Israel.

CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush condemned the attacks, saying that “no child deserves to feel insecure or threatened.”

“Every child is precious. Every child deserves protection,” Ayloush said. “Whether they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Palestinian, Israeli, American, White or Black — every child deserves that protection.”

Members of the Islamic Society of Orange County, Project Islamic H.O.P.E and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California also joined in Tuesday’s solemn event.

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Center of Orange County, said a blessing for Al-Fayoume, his mother, and for those whose lives have been lost.

“Six-years-old… he did not do anything wrong to anybody,” Siddiqi said.

Referencing increasing violence in Israel and Gaza, Siddiqi said that Palestinians are “the longest-suffering people in the world.”

“Hundreds and thousands of them are killed, expelled from their homes, living as refugees,” Siddiqui said. “In their own home, they’re refugees.”

Community members at the vigil asked that humanity be remembered in divisive, atrocious times.

Najee Ali, the executive director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E., reminded attendees that “Islam is a religion of peace and justice.”

“This baby was murdered because he was a Palestinian. He was murdered because he was Muslim, and that’s something we should all be outraged about because at the end of the day, he’s a child. And he was murdered because of hatred, ignorance and those engaging in Islamophobia,” said Ali.

“We want to protect all innocent children,” Ali added. “Palestinian lives matter. Our children matter. Muslim children matter.”

CAIR-LA officials also criticized Orange County leaders for their release of a “one-sided statement” last week that they said “offers solidarity with Israeli victims of violence, but blatantly makes no mention of the 1,400 Palestinians killed by Israel in their most recent assault and bombardment of Gaza.”

“Instead of using their platform as an opportunity to recognize and support all the communities impacted by the recent events — including Palestinian Americans, Arab Americans and American Muslims — the (Orange County) supervisors chose to engage in old Islamophobic tropes that conflate violence with a religion practiced by 2 billion people around the world,” CAIR-LA officials stated, while asking the board members to meet with local Palestinian human rights advocates.

The Bell resident, who spent two years in Mexico waiting for his permanent residency paperwork to come through, took that time to hone his craft and pursue a career in specialty coffee. Now Sanchez Salazar co-owns a coffee brand called “Malcriada,” with a menu inspired by Mexican and Chicano heritage and culture. In 2022, Sanchez Salazar and his girlfriend started making and selling the beans and blends at pop-ups across southeast L.A.

“I think for me, being a Latino-owned business is something I really take with me everywhere I go,” Sanchez Salazar said. “For us, it’s very important. It’s part of our mission: to preserve the culture that we inherited and also share it with other people.”

Sanchez Salazar is among a growing number of Latino Americans pursuing entrepreneurial dreams — and whose demographic has become a major driver of U.S. economic growth. New reports, released in mid-September and October during Hispanic Heritage Month, show that Latinos in the U.S. are propelling the economy forward — both as consumers and business owners. As older, non-Latino workers retire, research shows younger Latinos stepping into the labor market, contributing through personal businesses, spending and tax revenues.

With nearly 5 million Latino-owned businesses nationwide, Latinos generate more than $800 billion in annual revenue, according to a report card from the U.S. Treasury Department and the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, released Oct. 12. The U.S. is home to over 62.5 million Latinos — 19% of the U.S. population, the report says.

An annual study, from UCLA Health’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture and California Luthern University, shows the total economic output of U.S. Latinos was $3.2 trillion in 2021 — up from $2.8 trillion in 2020 and $1.7 trillion in 2010.

The report also noted Latinos in the U.S. have the fifth largest GDP — gross domestic product, a measure of the overall value of goods and services — in the world, larger than that of India, France or the U.K. It represents a growth of 7.1%, adjusted for inflation, and surpasses the $3 trillion mark for the first time, researchers said. Researchers said the numbers are driven by rapid gains in Latino income.

California also had the largest Latino economic output in 2021, amounting to $682 billion — followed by Texas and Florida, according to the latest U.S. Latino GDP report by the Latino Donor Collaborative, published in late September. With a growing consumption and purchasing power, the California Latino economy alone would rank the 21st largest in the world, between Poland and Switzerland.

Despite economic challenges, businesses shuttering and high unemployment rates during the coronavirus pandemic, more Latino entrepreneurs are starting their own businesses.

Nearly 25% of all new entrepreneurs in 2021 were Latino, research shows. Areas with a higher proportion of Latino and Black residents saw large increases in business application rates in 2020. Also, from 2019 to 2022 — during the pandemic and as businesses continued to recover — median weekly earnings increased 2.4% for Latino workers, accounting for inflation. Unemployment rates in this community also hit a record low last September, at 3.8%, according to the Department of Labor.

Notable among the numbers: younger Latinos are joining the workforce, spending and starting businesses.

The Latino Donor Collaborative report emphasizes this demographic as “significantly younger” than other groups. The majority are under age 25, with the most common age range being 10-to-14 years, compared to 60-to-64 years among non-Latinos.

A combination of “robust population growth, high labor force participation, and increasing human capital will continue to drive the dynamic growth witnessed so far,” the report says.

More Latinos are also graduating — though at lesser rates than their White peers — and becoming employed. This influx of younger, working-age Latinos, alongside economic advancements, is what’s making a difference, said Sol Trujillo, co-founder of the Latino Donor Collaborative.

“The Latino GDP is growing bigger every year, simply because of age. It’s a youthful cohort. If you took all Anglo Americans in the country, aged zero to 100, the most populated age for that cohort would be 58. If you took all the Latino Americans in the zero to 100 category, the most populated age would be 11,” said Trujillo. “There’s a million Latinos in the country turning 18 every year… they’re now supplying almost 80% of all workers in our economy.”

With overall “youthfulness, strong work ethic, deep family values, entrepreneurial spirit, healthy lifestyle and patriotism… Latinos are poised to power the U.S. economy into the mid-21st century, continuing to be a source of economic strength and resilience that benefits all,” researchers from the 2023 U.S. Latino GDP Report said.

Latinos’ growing purchasing power, representation

Being able to express themselves and pursue passions, while making a living, is top of mind for many Latino small business owners. These young creatives are just getting started.

Coffee connoisseur Sanchez Salazar was proud to hear about the growing Latino GDP. He and his business partner hope to one day open up Malcriada cafés of their own around southeast L.A.

“I think this information is good to see how much of this country we carry on our shoulders,” he said. “I like to believe I’m one of those people who are really hard working and do things without expecting. For generations, we don’t necessarily expect the best working conditions, the best benefits… Latinos are here to contribute. We’re not freeloaders.”

Seis Soles Wine Co. owner Christopher Rivera sells wines wholesale in Orange, Santa Ana and across the region, with dreams of opening up a tasting room in Orange County. The Northern California native said that grapes are grown Lodi, but the coronavirus shutdown made him redirect business online.

The company’s name — Seis Soles, the “sixth sun” — is inspired by Aztec ancestry and lore, respecting traditional Mexican family values while promoting new ideas. It represents the growth of “a new generation’s culture and values,” according to the website. Rivera’s business model supports representation and inclusivity which, he said, the wine industry needs more work on. He hopes to create a brand “that Latinos can identify with” and can be shared.

“I launched (Seis Soles Wine Co.) because Latinos are growing in purchasing power, in political power and in representation, especially in California,” Rivera, 38, said. “People always kind of pigeonhole us and act like we’re a monolith. They have almost a caricature of what a Latino or Mexican might be in California. Now, our disposable income tends to be increasing, as we’re expanding out from just manual labor jobs… we’re coming into our own, learning new things and participating in the economy.”

After finding a lack of inclusive children’s clothing to gift to her expecting uncles, L.A. resident Jessica Sosa-Cardenas co-founded a children’s clothing brand called PeaTree, selling hand-sewn, organic onesies and children’s clothes at pop-up markets and retailers across the region.

Now the small business, started by two second-generation Mexican sisters in 2019, carries a range of children’s clothes that represent being Latinx. PeaTree’s collections also celebrate LGBTQ+ parents and those with children through in vitro fertilization, surrogacy or adoption.

Sosa-Cardenas said PeaTree contributes to the community through local partnerships. She feels it’s important to uplift other women of color and their businesses.

“To work on this brand that is representative of my culture is so huge because it’s the double layer of not only being Latino, but also being a woman, and knowing that I was able to achieve all of this. I want it to be an example of what true commitment and hard work can do,” Sosa-Cardenas, 38, said. “The love for my family, the love for my culture, the love for our traditions is what it’s all about.”

Staff writer Allyson Vergara contributed to this report. 

The next month, on February 11, around 500 LGBTQ+ community members and allies gathered outside the bar in a peaceful protest. It was one of the earliest national public gay rights demonstrations, predating the Stonewall riots in New York, and one of Southern California’s earliest recognized public protests for gay rights, historians said.

More than 55 years later, many still remember what happened. The famed tavern, now called The Black Cat, has since been named the first California historical landmark that honors LGBTQ+ history.

The state tribute was sealed with a plaque, which was unveiled at a ceremony near the bar on Sunday, Oct. 1. Around 50 people attended the unveiling, including L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, as well as Assemblymembers Wendy Carrillo and Lauren Freedman.

“It’s an honor that we still remember what has happened because if we don’t remember, it can revert back to the way it was,” said 87-year-old Alexei Romanoff, one of the few living Black Cat demonstrators, at the event. He owned another Silver Lake gay bar that was raided on the same night, and was proud to show his support to the Black Cat by helping organize the peaceful protest.

“We didn’t do anything by ourselves. It was always an effort of our communities and those who support us. It’s not only us, but those who support us.”

Sunday’s plaque unveiling kicked off the start of LGBT History Month, which celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender icons for each day in October. It also comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several bills that bolster the state’s protections for LGBTQ+ people, and about a month after California became the first state to recognize Transgender History Month, which starts next August 2024.

But even as the state gets its first landmark honoring LGBTQ+ history, advocates say the community’s rights and freedoms are in danger across Southern California. The region has also become a battleground for LGBTQ+ issues — from curriculum debates and student-led protests, to pride flag restrictions and controversial parental notification policies.

LGBTQ+ groups and allies are concerned about growing discrimination, state and nationwide legislation that seems to target their communities, particularly trans groups, advocates said. There is also a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ crimes — particularly anti-transgender attacks — across California, where overall hate crimes rose 20%, the state Department of Justice reported.

Still, attendees at Sunday’s plaque unveiling were glad to have something to celebrate.

Estaire Press, who attended to the unveiling with her wife, learned about The Black Cat’s legacy in the gay rights movement around 10 years ago. She said the plaque is “more important than ever, given the recent attacks on LGBTQ rights.”

“We used to live in a county that would have problems,” Press, 71, said. “I think it’s important that the vocal majority take steps like this to ensure that life in California remains open to everyone.”

Citing recent backlash centered on LGBTQ issues at local school districts, from Glendale to Temecula, where “children’s rights are limited… adults’ lives aren’t far behind.”

Silver Lake resident Daniel Henning recalled an organization called P.R.I.D.E., Personal Rights in Defense and Education, which helped put together that first rally in 1967.

“It was the first time in the U.S. that pride was used in conjunction with the queer and trans community,” Henning said. “The Black Cat is literally where pride began.”

The new plaque — sponsored by the California Landmark Foundation, the Bill Beaver Project, and the California Department of Parks — is on the intersection of Hyperion Ave. and Silver Lake Blvd., near the site of the original tavern.

The efforts cost around $440,000, according to Kyle Jarrett of the Bill Beaver Project. Jarrett, who collaborated with the Historical Landmark Foundation for several plaque replacements, helped with the research and paperwork for the new Black Cat Tavern plaque, marking it California Historical Landmark #1063.

Ray Najera, executive director of the California Landmark Foundation, said getting the state recognition took about two years. He said there are a limited number of California-registered landmarks.

“It is important to teach an inclusive history of California because everyone deserves to have their history told,” Najera said before the ceremony. “The state landmark system has been in place for almost 100 years… this is a step in the right direction.”

The Black Cat was also designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument for its role in the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, given by the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission in 2008. A marker names it “the site of the first documented LGBT civil rights demonstration in the nation.”

Black Cat protestor Romanoff was joyful at the unveiling, raising his fists up in celebration. He has since become a prominent LGBTQ+ activist, fighting for health equity and HIV/AIDS research funding. In the 1960s, Romanoff established clinics where the community could get access to healthcare, which later became the foundation of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

“We all stepped out and said ‘I’m not going to hide anymore’,” he said.

But when she arrived in 1994 to live and work in a makeshift factory compound in El Monte, Clinton knew things wouldn’t be what they were promised.

“From 7 a.m. to after midnight, I worked. We were told if we complained they would hurt us. They said we would bring harm to our families,” she said. “I know things were not right, but I was already in there and had nothing I could do… this is not the America I dreamed about. America is a land of freedom. I did not have freedom.”

Clinton was one of 72 garment workers, mainly women, who were trafficked in the early 1990s and held captive for years working in a makeshift garment factory, in a row of unassuming townhouses in El Monte. Their story is considered one of the earliest known cases of modern-day slavery in the U.S.

A group of 25 of the formerly enslaved workers were honored this month by the U.S. Department of Labor, and received medals for their courage and resilience.

Officials recognized how their high-profile case shaped modern labor and immigration laws that protect immigrant workers and victims of trafficking.

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su inducted the workers into the Department of Labor Hall of Honor at a Monday, Sept. 18 ceremony in Washington D.C.

“By sheer force of will, they forced corporations and government to re-examine their practices,” Su said. “They refuse to succumb to societal pressures and cultural norms that told them to stay in the shadows.”

Officials in Congress are also raising awareness of the garment workers’ story. On Sept. 20, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, introduced a House resolution to honor the Thai workers.

“Despite the trauma they endured, they helped to expand rights for immigrant workers and survivors of human trafficking and hold corporations responsible for the conditions in which their clothes are made,” Chu said in a statement. The resolution “will reaffirm this place in labor history in the congressional record.”

Some of the nation’s strongest anti-sweatshop laws were passed as a result of the El Monte workers’ case which, Chu said, laid the groundwork for passing immigration acts for victims of trafficking, sexual slavery and crime.

On Sept. 27, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., delivered a floor speech to the U.S. Senate, saying when they “were finally freed, they owed nothing to this country.”

“And yet, they stood up and fought to protect others from going through the hell they endured. As each and every one of them has shown us, the best way to respond to the atrocities they’ve been through — the best way to honor them — is through action, including keeping up the fight to end worker exploitation.”

For Su, recognizing the workers was a personal victory. As a then-lead attorney with Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California — known before as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center — Su led the legal representation team that exposed and helped free the workers from their abusive employers in 1995. The successful civil case defined her career, and helped push forward future legislation that would bolster labor laws and protect workers.

“The most profound changes are personal,” she said at the ceremony. “Like our honorees, standing up, building power, exercising their rights, and against all odds defying the message they have heard their entire lives: that they should just keep their heads down and know their place.”

Victims shared experiences of being held captive at the El Monte compound for several years — some as long as seven. They had 18-hour work days under tight-knit, strict living conditions; no way to contact family members or receive help.

Connie Chung Joe, the CEO of Advancing Justice, said the workers’ harrowing situation ended during a federal and state-led raid at the compound in 1995.

After that raid, the garment workers — who were brought to the U.S. illegally — were initially at risk of being deported back to Thailand. Advancing Justice, with Su at the helm, stepped in to offer legal services and help them get visas.

A group of Thai sweatshop operators were later indicted for committing involuntary servitude and kidnapping, among other charges, reports said.

The lawsuit win successfully held retailers and manufacturers who used sweatshops accountable — which was unheard of before the El Monte Thai workers’ case, according to Joe. The workers were granted legal residency, and over $4 million was recovered in back wages for the forced labor.

Twenty-eight years later, Clinton, now 54, said she “never imagined” being honored in Washington D.C.

“This means so much to me and my family. We brought the case against the companies; we went to court. I know we worked very hard to stand up here for our rights. We changed the laws,” Clinton said at the ceremony. “I cannot believe I am going to be remembered in history along with my friends.”

Survivors recall slavery-like living conditions 

In the early 1990s, 72 immigrant workers were brought to the El Monte compound from Thailand, with the promise that they could pay their visas off. It was a tactic sweatshop employers often used to take advantage of poor foreigners, trapping them into enslaved labor.

But knowing no one in the U.S. — and with no way to escape or let their families know what was really going on — many of the victims could do nothing but what they were told.

Reflecting at the Hall of Honor ceremony, they shared stories of life at the compound, long work days at the crammed clothing factory, and living under 24/7 surveillance. They recalled overcrowded living conditions of at least 10 to a room with no beds, often sleeping on the floor. Some shared details of barbed wire around the complex, and armed guards with batons and knives outside at all times. And they were almost never allowed to leave the compound. They could only communicate with their families through letters, which were screened by their captors.

“This is not the America I dreamed about. America is a land of freedom. I did not have freedom.” – Maliwan Radomphon Clinton, one of the enslaved El Monte garment workers

Nantha Jaknang, who was held at the compound for three years, said food and everyday items were upsold to the workers by their captors — for example, a single watermelon would be $14.

Another worker, Phitsamai Baothong, said the visa she was promised was “completely false” and didn’t have her name or photo on it, but someone else entirely. She worked at the sweatshop for three years to try and pay off her visa, which cost $3,000 — around $6,000 today with inflation.

“They took everything we had,” Baothong said. “Visas, passports, everything.”

Baothong said the garment workers would usually get around $400 per month for their work, with only one day off. Their captors would often take out what they were “owed” for the workers’ visas and food, leaving them sometimes with only half to show for a full month’s work.

Praphaphon Pongpit, who was held at the townhouses from 1993 to 1995, said the experience was “horrible.”

“We just kept working — it was just not a good feeling being there,” she said. “You could never even really go outside.”

Protecting workers from exploitation

Advancing Justice officials called the El Monte Thai workers’ story “a valuable reminder of why continued vigilance and commitment is needed to prevent the horrors they faced from reoccurring.”

The successful lawsuit was described by UCLA Labor Center Director Kent Wong as a national model that can inspire workers across the country.

“At the heart of this case was a group of mainly women, immigrant garment workers who stood up, spoke up and organized for justice,” Wong said.

Due in part to their story, nearly three decades later, both U.S. and California governments have passed a number of labor and immigration laws that protect immigrant workers and survivors from becoming trafficked.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, passed in 2000, created visas for trafficked victims and established a federal task force on human trafficking.

Other changes in law made after the El Monte workers included the creation of the T visa — which grants legal visas to victims of trafficking, violence and forced labor. No immigration visa existed specifically for survivors of human trafficking prior to the El Monte Thai workers case, officials said.

More recently, SB-62 — the CA Garment Worker Protection Act, which lawmakers passed two years ago in September — establishes that garment workers specifically be paid per hour; no less than minimum wage. It made California the first state to enforce the hourly wages for garment workers; preventing sweatshop-like work that would typically pay workers per piece completed, resulting in often unpaid overtime.

In Los Angeles, near the Thai Town business district, the Thai Community Development Center opened its new facility over the summer to help immigrant laborers from being exploited — inspired by the El Monte case.

At the Hall of Honor induction, elected officials including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL, praised the workers for going after their captors.

“It’s only thanks to their resilience and their brilliance, courage and conviction that the so-called ‘land of the free’ learned of modern-day slavery right on our own shores,” Duckworth said. “We are also now forever thankful for how they used that experience to push the country that had so wronged them, to do right by others.”

Officials from the El Monte Police Department were also honored with a congressional recognition, for their work helping to free the victims during the sweatshop raid in 1995.

Police Chief Jake Fisher said he and city officials are working on a memorial — and possibly a plaque — to honor the workers. It would be likely planned for 2025 on the 30-year anniversary of the case, Fisher said.

Revisiting the compound

In late September, Maliwan Clinton and Phitsamai Baothong, who are friends, went back to the El Monte compound where they were held captive. It was their first time back in 28 years.

The yellow row of townhouse units where they lived and worked now looks unassuming — just another block of residential housing in the crowded suburban city. No wooden boards over the windows. No armed guards. No barbed wire surrounding the building.

Both women were shocked at how “normal” the townhomes, with so much traumatic history, looked now. Baothong said she recognized the unit where she lived and worked “immediately, even with time.” The two reminisced on what the years there held.

“There are a lot of bad memories,” said an emotional Baothong, 54, who now lives in San Pedro.

Clinton — who now works and lives in Hawthorne — remembered the units were labeled A through G, and that she stayed in unit D. She said she could close her eyes and picture the sweatshop compound as if it were yesterday.

The building’s exteriors looked “totally different” — but also “how they’re supposed to,” she said. “It’s just a normal place where people live now.”

Moxxie Childs, who goes by “Flag Boy” online, is documenting his efforts on TikTok, with now over 700,000 views. He has passed out over 600 flags, donated through his Amazon wishlist.

Childs is among a number of Temecula students protesting the policy recently approved by the Temecula Valley Unified School District board — one of which allows only U.S. and California state flags to be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms.

Childs and many Temecula students feel the new policy, adopted at a board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 12, is a coded way of banning pride flags. He and other students plan to protest by walking out of classes Friday, Sept. 22.

Childs, 16, said that “nearly every single person” who spoke at the board meeting about the district’s flag policy was “speaking specifically about pride flags.”

“So even though the policy itself was vague, it felt very targeted and intentional,” the Great Oak junior said.

The policy – adopted on a 3-2 vote – mirrors a similar one in Chino Valley Unified, passed in June, that limits which flags can be displayed on its campuses.

It states that “no flag other than the United States of America and State of California may be displayed on school grounds, including classrooms, unless it is a country, state, or United States military flag used solely for educational purposes within the adopted curriculum.” It also defines flags as “a piece of material of distinct color and design used as a symbol, standard or emblem,” and allows “any other flag” display must be approved by the district Superintendent.

Temecula Valley Unified School District officials did not immediately respond Wednesday, Sept. 20, to requests asking for clarification on whether Childs, or any student, passing out non-U.S. or California state flags on school grounds would be in violation of the policy.

District spokesperson James Evans said Thursday, Sept. 21 that “the policy speaks for itself.”

Trustee Allison Barclay, who voted no, said in an email Tuesday that she didn’t have information on how the policy will be “interpreted or enforced.”

“I believe that this is one of the reasons that we should have discussed this further, with input from staff,” Barclay wrote. “Unfortunately there is absolutely no wording in this administrative regulation regarding the placement of the American flag, only ensuring that no other flags, aside from the California State flag, are displayed.  There is also no wording regarding stickers, shirts, etc. so to my knowledge, it would appear there can be no restriction of these items.”

Childs said he has received both “a lot of support” and a “fair amount of hostility” on his efforts, and was “overwhelmed” by the response.

“I already got harassed a fair amount for being trans, like people tried to yank out my earrings, yelling stuff at me, stuff like that,” he said. “From the staff, it has been surprisingly positive. They can’t put the flags up in their own rooms, because teachers who have them are now under investigation.”

Childs said he has also been harassed by other students when passing out the flags on campus Friday, Sept. 15. He said he did not report it to the school for fear of “retaliation.”

“We are unable to comment on an alleged incident that was not reported,” Evans said Thursday.

Despite the mixed responses in person and comments from strangers online, Childs has continued to pass out pride flags and heart-shaped rainbow stickers every day at school.

What started out as an almost $70 investment out of his own pocket quickly grew to a bigger crowdfunding effort — with over $2,000 raised on his GoFundMe page, as of Wednesday.

Childs said he hopes to donate money to organizations supporting LGBTQ youth, such as The Trevor Project and PFLAG Temecula.  He is also still accepting Amazon wishlist donations so he’s able to pass out more flags until the policies are lifted.

Childs’ father, Michael Childs, called the threats “obviously not good,” but said he trusts Childs to “stay safe while continuing his activism.”

He said he is supportive of the efforts, saying, “If you see something that isn’t right, it’s not only your duty, but you know, it’s good to stand up for it.”

LGBTQ issues have been front and center in the Temecula school district since the school board’s conservative majority, backed by a local Christian political action committee, won a majority of seats on the five-person board.

The school board also blocked a resolution affirming LGBTQ students’ rights, which would have declared the district “has a responsibility to ensure that all students who reside within its boundaries, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, can safely access a free public K-12 education.”

The board majority voted last month to require district staff to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender; a policy many LGBTQ advocates called “forced outings,” while supporters believe protects children. California Attorney General Rob Bonta rebuked the board’s decision, saying that it “targets California’s vulnerable LGBTQ student population,” and “will not tolerate districts compromising the safety and privacy of transgender and gender nonconforming students.”

Despite the recent policies, Childs said the school and most staff at Great Oak are “overall fairly accepting of LGBTQ students.”

“There’s just a few bad apples and unfortunately, some of those bad apples tend to be right on the school board,” Childs said.

His GoFundMe fundraiser also mentions the “attempt to ban textbooks with LGBT history.”

In June, the board majority rejected an elementary social studies curriculum with supplemental materials that referenced LGBTQ civil rights leader Harvey Milk, whom Komrosky and Gonzalez called a “pedophile.” The board eventually adopted the curriculum after Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to send textbooks to Temecula and fine the school district.

Childs said he and other advocates will be part of a student walkout on Friday with other high schools in the district to protest the new policies. The students previously organized a walkout protesting the board’s ban on critical race theory adopted in December.

Friday’s walkouts are set to involve students from the district’s Great Oak, Chaparral and Temecula Valley high schools, as well as Murrieta Mesa High School in the neighboring Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Students participating will be walking across the street from school campuses to nearby parks.

An email from Great Oak administration was sent to parents and students on Wednesday, informing them of the student-led protest.

“TVUSD and GOHS do not support or endorse student walkouts,” the letter said. “The safest place our students can be between 8:30 and 3:30 every day is in a classroom. If a student leaves their classroom to participate in a walkout, they will be marked truant.”

An Instagram post from Temecula LGBTQ Youth, the student-run account organizing Friday’s school walkouts, said they are “rallying for LGBTQ rights and student safety.”

“The district is funding illegal, hateful actions instead of classrooms,” the post said, emphasizing that student protests will be peaceful.

Staff reporter Jeff Horseman contributed to this report. 

This story has been updated to clarify the district’s response on Thursday, Sept. 21. 

On one hand, the event — pegged on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month and less than two miles from the site where his father, Robert F. Kennedy, was killed nearly 60 years ago while running for president  — had the markings of the kind of support Kennedy Jr.’s uncle, John, the late president, or his father, might have wanted.

A mariachi group and folklórico dancers opened the campaign stop at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, where more than 300 people were gathered to hear Kennedy Jr. speak.

On one level, the scene conjured up a history of decades-old alliances between the Kennedy family and Latinos, forged in the struggle for farmworker rights. On the other, this was a Kennedy campaign descending on a solidly blue state with a message often bucking his own party and the president who leads it.

See also: Man with 2 pistols arrested at LA event featuring Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., authorities say

On immigration, Kennedy Jr. echoes many conservatives’ perspectives on what is seen as a “border crisis,” in which “ruthless criminal cartels” have made drugs and human smuggling what he says is a multibillion-dollar business, according to his website. He blames fellow Democrat and his opponent, Biden, and current border enforcement rules for escalating the situation.

“We need wide walls, but also we need wide gates,” Kennedy Jr. said on Friday. “Mexican drug cartels are running our U.S. immigration system now… we need to work with Mexico instead of alienating them.”

It’s a message that resonates with many who lean to the right on the issue. But he tempered the rhetoric with what he said is his “humanitarian” approach, compared to proposed border policies he sees as grounded in xenophobia and bigotry.

“What I’m going to do as president, I’m going to secure the border,” he said in remarks, just after a showing of “Midnight at the Border,” a documentary on Kennedy Jr.’s visit to the Arizona-California border with Mexico. “And I’m going to make an easier, faster, simplified path to citizenship for people who are here illegally.”

He said that appointing “more efficient” asylum court judges are needed to adjudicate cases at the border “on the day that immigrants show up, before they gain access to our country.”

Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy has definitely caught the attention of those outside the Democratic Party, who find strains of his politics attractive.

Once known for his work as an environmental lawyer, Kennedy Jr., 69, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic because of an ardent opposition to vaccines. While he has pushed back on the “anti-vax” label, an AP investigation in 2021 reported that he had linked up with anti-democratic figures and other groups over the issue.

Kennedy Jr.’s speeches on the campaign trail have pushed forward a kind of dual political persona: a candidate in the mold of a true Democratic tradition — such as his father and uncle, but also a track record of GOP support for his views on vaccines, immigration and other issues. Even major Republican donors and PACs have donated to help bankroll Kennedy Jr.’s bid for the White House.

Ultimately, underpinning his stance on the Biden administration is what, when launching his campaign in April, Kennedy Jr. called his mission: “to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country.”

Both immigration advocates and Latino community leaders — including former Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem, and Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez — were present to support Kennedy Jr.

Mendez, the founder of Churches for Action, gave an invocation before Kennedy Jr. took the stage.“We’re living in some crazy times; we need good leadership in the White House,” the bishop prayed. “We must commit to bringing law and order, restore justice for victims.”

Retired news anchor Bob Jimenez, one of the event emcees, honored the Hispanic Heritage Month occasion. “Heritage means we are passing on who we are to the next generation of Latinos,” Jimenez said. “What we pass on is our strength to keep democracy strong.”

Political pundits and Latino leaders believe Kennedy Jr.’s campaigning in L.A. seems to be part of a strategy to get more Latino voters, who make up the second-largest voting bloc in the U.S., on his side.

“If he was going to kick off Latino Heritage Month, it would make sense for him to do it at home in a city that’s almost half Latino. But it’s also kind of ironic,” said Jaime Regalado, an emeritus professor of political science at Cal State Los Angeles, pointing out the “love affair and fascination of Latino communities with the Kennedy family,” going all the way back to John F. Kennedy’s presidential run.

Regalado noted the Kennedy brothers’ efforts to galvanize the Latino vote: Viva Kennedy clubs became big in the southwest, across California. Latino communities were drawn to JFK’s Catholic background, charisma and — at the time — more progressive policies, even in then-mostly-Republican California. It was an “anomaly” at the time, Regalado said.

There was a notable “shift in the (Kennedys’) political makeup,” from moderate to more liberal and progressive Democrats, Regalado said. He recalled how both Robert Kennedy Sr. and U.S. Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy were considered by some to be “champions of workers” and “those who have been victimized by society, Latinos among them.”

But, with flashy campaign events in L.A., Kennedy Jr. is “courting” the Latino vote, Regalado said. “I think he feels it would aid the wind blowing in his back.”

The fervor of the previous “Viva Kennedy” era, however, is not there.

“The irony is that not only is (Robert Kennedy Jr.) still a Kennedy in L.A., but he’s a very different kind of Kennedy in L.A. — one basking in the support of some disgruntled Democratic voters who are still charmed by the Kennedy name, no matter the politics,” Regalado continued. “But on the Republican side, you’re getting a kind of champion of some of the culture wars.”

Still, an anti-establishment strain is attracting many who see government regulation, pandemic-era government public health directives and general political gridlock as tiring.

Kennedy Jr.’s L.A. visit Friday drew both supporters and open-minded Latino voters, including Ricardo Beas, an independent who came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 12.

“We’re in the restaurant business and that’s why I want to be aware if (Kennedy Jr.) is the right candidate. I’m interested in his small business policy,” he said. “I want less regulations.”

Retired veteran Steve Futterman, a regular volunteer and donor, this is his third Kennedy Jr. campaign event.

The 67-year-old said he tends to be “more conservative” on certain issues, and is not a Democrat.

“I like his anti-war stances and protection of the First Amendment… he’s the only one that could speak rationally and has an actual firm policy decisions, unlike any other candidate that I’ve ever seen,” Futterman said. “I trust him in that even though I might disagree with him, he’s willing to listen.”

Noting the pro-life views of many Latino Catholics, Kennedy Jr. said Friday he believes “every abortion is a tragedy … I’ve fought my entire life for medical freedom… we should not have bureaucrats making that decision.”

The anti-establishment strains in Kennedy’s Jr. vision — from his Biden critiques to his vaccination stances — is not lost on Mimi Robson, immediate past chair of the Libertarian Party of California.

Kennedy Jr.’s policy vision resonates with some Libertarians, who strongly opposed government intervention in personal freedoms and business.

“I like a lot of what he has to say on these issues,” Robson said, noting Kennedy Jr.’s recent appearance at FreedomFest, a Libertarian conference. “I do think it resonates with people. He brings good discussion points. A different perspective than what other Democrats bring. I think that’s a positive.”

“I know libertarians who find his message intriguing,” she said. “There’s definitely an audience here for what he has to say.”

Richard Sherman, past chair of the Los Angeles County GOP, said that Kennedy Jr. stands out in a solidly blue California precisely because he says “what many Democrats won’t.”

“I think Kennedy appeals to some Republicans because he’s not afraid to say what he thinks,” Sherman said, adding he’s among the few Democratic candidates actually challenging Biden.

He added that though his beliefs are somewhat “paradoxical” — there’s a certain “Trump-ism going on with Kennedy… it’s ironic that you can even compare the two because they are so different.”

But while there are pockets of support for Kennedy Jr., some Latino community leaders were wary of Kennedy Jr. and others promising stronger immigration policies.

Jose Barrera, vice president for the Far West for the League of United Latin American Citizens, is among them.

He said that Latino voters “are paying attention to (candidates) who propose real solutions for immigration reform.”

“With the recent DACA ruling, the Latino electorate is gearing up to put pressure on the candidates to fix our broken systems. If Kennedy is looking to come to L.A. unprepared to speak on the tough issues we’re facing, he’s certainly going to have a rough time in the primaries,” Barrera said.

Tucked into the doorway is the hospital’s first Jewish mezuzah, which community leaders and hospital officials hope will bring a sense of comfort to often overwhelmed, stressed-out caregivers working in one of Orange County’s busiest emergency rooms.

The mezuzah was installed during the early morning shift on Thursday, Sept. 14, the day before Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year and start of the high holiday season. For Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah is considered one of the holiest days of the year.

A mezuzah is a hand-length wooden container that holds a kosher scroll with handwritten words from the Torah. The Hebrew invocation is one of the holiest prayers in Judaism, according to Rabbi Heidi Cohen, who blessed the hospital’s new mezuzah Thursday.

“Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with God’s commandments and commands us to affix a mezuzah,” the prayer reads.

The mezuzah was purchased by one of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and features a tree of life design made by artist Glenn Grubard. On top of the wooden carved tree is the Hebrew letter “Shin,” representing the name of God in Hebrew.

Cohen, who has served in Orange County’s Jewish community for 25 years, said mezuzahs are used as a way of protecting a house or building, helping to “create a sense of protection in God’s presence.”

She also said Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on personal goals and things to improve in the new year.

“Placing the mezuzah right before (Rosh Hashanah) is an incredible way to start the new year,” Cohen, who co-founded the Jewish community nonprofit HaNefesh, said.

Dr. Brian Lee, the medical director of the emergency center at St. Joseph’s, started the effort to get the Catholic hospital’s first Jewish mezuzah installed. He approached St. Joseph Hospital Foundation board member Sister Mary Therese Sweeney with the idea of having a more inclusive reprieve for his emergency care staff.

Lee, who is neither Catholic or Jewish, said he likes a more spiritual approach to life, rather than religious. He sees the mezuzah as a symbol of faith that emergency caregivers, already overwhelmed with surges of patients, can “leave their burdens at work” when they go home, Lee said. They can trust that the remaining team on duty will take care of their patients.

“This hospital, and especially the emergency department, went through a lot during COVID. We were probably one of the busiest COVID hospitals,” Lee said. “Ever since then, we never stopped. So the nurses and the doctors really needed some release from that moral injury just not letting up.”

Many attendees who witnessed the blessing Thursday morning say it was a moving experience.

Claudia Monterrosa, a Catholic nurse who has worked at St. Joseph’s for 20 years, said the blessing brought a big crowd of staff to the break room.

“It was so nice to start off the day like that,” Monterrosa said. “It’s a way to be a bit more representative of everybody and I think the message (the Rabbi) sent out was nice as well.”

Attendees participated in the blessing with a few lines of prayer, one being, “Everything we do in love lasts forever.”