Our Freedoms, Our Faiths, Our Future
Charlene Tebar
Community Affairs Director
Church of Scientology Los Angeles
Recent Southern California trends surveys show that the Southland will become more and more ethnically diverse in the decades ahead. That might be expected; after all, this is LA, land of 146 different cultures.
But 10 years ago, few in this multicultural mix would have expected today’s public response to these projections. Better than three of four of those Southern Californians interviewed in Davis, Hibbits & McCaig’s Opinion Research & Strategic Communication firm actually agree that this expanded diversity is a likely trend. And here’s what caught our attention: roughly two of every three interviewed consider it a desirable scenario.
This says a lot for the efforts of the individuals and groups in greater Los Angeles that have found a way to tap the benefits of a diverse culture and build upon them with tolerance and mutual respect.
In this issue of LA Freedom, we spotlight the impact these individuals and groups have had in uniting one of the most diverse cities in the world under the banner of social action. These are the “We can!” men, women and youth who seek to resolve any discord that plagues society here in LA. And, in so doing, they are daily setting an example to the rest of the world that any community, no matter how diverse, can work together to achieve the same.
How easy it can be to fixate on life’s problems and insecurities — the threats, the suspicions, the fears. And yet how vital is human progress when, faced with such downsides, the faith of a few can inspire and empower the many. Consider, for a moment, what the faith of many can do.
That “many” is here and it is growing, as this issue of LA Freedom reports.
On this page, for example, you will see how religious, community and law enforcement leaders of Los Angeles have combined to strengthen their resolve to end acts of hate and to eliminate conflicts. You will learn of other humanitarian initiatives built upon a solid ground of effective solutions and proven results.
And the investment of these solutions could not be more vital than in our youth. Whether the efforts of these effective programs are geared to improving education, providing drug prevention and rehabilitation facilities or after-school programs, the overriding concern in other recent opinion surveys is that, as a city, we have major bridges to build for our future generations.
But from the foundations laid by the groups and individuals covered in the pages to follow — as well as others you will hear more about in LA Freedom issues to come — we can both build and cross those bridges.
As always, we welcome your comments and questions.
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