The American movement Not in Our Town is becoming more and more relevant in Hungary. A negative discrimination, which has not been unknown in our recent history, is making the lives of Hungary’s minorities more difficult once again.
—Nalunknem.org
Hungarian concerned citizens launched a local Not In Our Town site, Nalunknem.org, to map their positive stories of change in the face of anti-Semitism and anti-Roma sentiment. The site helps connect the growing network for tolerance in Hungary and includes updates on events and resources, including Not In Our Town films and action guides translated into Hungarian.
The site is the digital home of this civil society project that aims to inspire ordinary people to fight against hatred, bullying and intolerance in their communities and schools. A series of videos features hate crime trial testimony and some stories of the Roma in Hungary and a page is dedicated to action steps anyone can take, such as hosting a discussion, challenging hate speech and media stereotyping. The map showcases projects such as the Circles of Tolerance, launched in May, and the Tolerance Festival this November.
The Tolerance Festival was organized by Marta Goldmann after she attended a Not In Our Town workshop at Central European University. The two-day festival in Szombathely, Hungary originally focused primarily on addressing anti-Semitism, but this year featured Roma history and culture as well as discussions of intolerance and theater and cultural activities. Through Not In Our Town, Szombathely has connected with Marshalltown, Iowa, an American town that has spearheaded a community-wide Not In Our Town campaign. Matt Tullis, the Marshalltown schools’ director of equity, traveled to Szombathely to talk about Marshalltown’s proactive work.
Nalunknem.org emerged from a Hungarian tour in April, when Not In Our Town Executive Producer Patrice O’Neill introduced the Not In Our Town model in Hungary. The tour was prompted by Ellen Hume, a journalist and advisor for Central European University, and was co-sponsored by Central European University, the U.S. Embassy, with additional support by the Norwegian Embassy and the Hungarian government. This video documents some of the events from the tour.
Learn more at nalunknem.org.
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