Honoring the legacy of Terri Villa-mcdowell
The team at LA vs Hate wanted to inform our incredible community that the woman behind it all, Terri Villa-McDowell, has crossed over to the other side. She was an inspiration to us all, and was in turn, inspired by the way our communities have come together to celebrate peace and unity.
Terri was the LA vs Hate program manager at the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations whose passion for the just treatment of people, especially the most vulnerable, drove her leadership building LA vs Hate starting in 2019. Her entire career as a public interest lawyer and human rights advocate was dedicated to giving voice to youth, people, communities, and schools - creating programs, finding resources, and ensuring that equity was not just an idea, but a practice.
Terri was most often found working tirelessly in the background to advance her vision for a stronger, more united LA County. From press releases to grantwriting, Terri’s incredible work ethic and skillset set the bedrock for anti-hate work in California and across the country.
“When I first started out working with Terri, she invited me into her home office and let me shadow her work. I knew right away what an honor it was. I also knew right away that no one says no to Terri. She poured so much of her existence into this work, and nothing could stop her from taking care of her community. Any time a hate act happened in our county, she would be the first one to reach out and gather everyone to come up with a plan of action - no matter if it was midnight or 8am on a Sunday morning.” - Valentina D’Alessandro
Terri and Human Relations Commissioner Dr. Guadalupe G. Montaño pose with an LA vs Hate sandcastle in the summer of 2021.
“Terri has had a huge role in my years at the Commission, having served in many roles over the years. I first brought her on as Asst. Executive Director in the 2000s. After Terri left to focus on work in schools (she served on an advisory board for the state superintendent of instruction), she later returned to the Commission staff in 2018-19 to play a key role in building LA vs Hate, which would not be what it is today without her passion for justice, intelligence, and can-do attitude. Terri was always one to believe that “it may seem impossible until it’s done,” and she proved it many times. Above all, Terri was a generous, caring and supportive colleague to all. We will miss her greatly, and LA County residents are better off because of her.” - Robin Toma
Prior to her work on LA vs Hate, Terri worked to disrupt the “school to prison pipeline” by providing racial equity/impact of poverty trainings for school district staff and at the LA County Office of Education. She developed award-winning social emotional learning and systems to access mental health services for children and families at various high-need school districts. Her work is based on the premise that social emotional supports for many children growing up in poverty-impacted homes is an educational equity issue. Her work in education garnered over $10 million in grants to implement federal programs such as the inaugural School Climate Transformation Grant and Project Cal-Well Grant, as well as state and local grants, such as the Early Mental Health Initiative, at ABCUSD where she worked for over a decade. Terri had over 25 years experience as a public interest attorney, working at the Legal Aid Foundation of LA, Public Counsel, and the National Immigration Law Center. Her work addresses issues of low-income families, juvenile justice, immigrants/refugees, domestic violence and access to needed government services, including special education, nutrition, health care and mental health services.
Fight On Terri ✌️
"Terri was an invincible force. She retired and then un-retired and shaped and built a program that has brought awareness to the general public of how and where to report hate. She did this while battling cancer and raising her special needs granddaughter. I know I got to know Terri at the tail-end of her career, and I am sure everything she accomplished before that was just as amazing. Rest in Power, Terri." - Monica Lomeli
Unveiling of the first LA vs Hate mural in the San Gabriel Valley.
