OCA and the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Tolerance, in partnership with local school
districts, have held events to raise awareness of bullying and its consequences for the last
seven years. We invite local non-profits and law enforcement representatives to have
tables with information on their programs related to bullying. For the first 4 years, we
gathered on the Capitol steps. For the last 3 years, we have met at The California Museum
and its Unity Center.

Middle school students gather to view the exhibits from organizations such as Victims of
Crime Resource Center, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and local law
enforcement agencies, and school districts, (Natomas Unified, Sacramento City Unified, Elk
Grove Unified, and San Juan Unified School Districts). In smaller groups, they tour the
Unity Center, which has many interactive exhibits.

The Unity Center at The California Museum opened in 2017. It is the culmination of 18
years of work to open a place of interactive exhibits that encourage the commitment to live
in unity, respect, and peace. It is the ideal forum for appreciating differences and learning
ways to prevent and/or respond to bullying.

The Unity Council was started in 1999, in reaction to the white supremacists who
firebombed synagogues and a women’s health clinic, and murdered a gay couple as they
slept. The leaders of the Sacramento region, led by then-Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg,
came together to declare that they stand together to fight hatred and racism of all sorts.
Representatives of different religious, cultural and ethnic groups met and worked together
to develop strategies to educate about their histories and about the consequences of hate
speech and activities.

The hope had been to build a center, but the funds ran out and then The California Museum
proposed a partnership. A community gem was born. The focus is on engaging and youth,
and telling the stories of the vast variety of folks who have come to California over the
years to create the multi-cultural colossus that is our State.

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Now, in celebration of the 7th annual Stand Up, Speak Out Against Bullying rally, students
and community partners will be educated about bullying prevention exposed to the rich
knowledge of the Unity Museum.