There is a moment in the documentary, Light in the Darkness, that has lingered with West Virginia resident Paul Sheridan.
In the film, Patchogue, N.Y. mayor Paul Pontieri returns to the intersection where Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero was murdered. Pontieri meets a man, he discovers, who has been a neighbor to Pontieri’s family for 25 years.
“I didn’t know who he was,” Pontieri says. “Do they make themselves invisible, or do we make them invisible by not seeing them?”
It’s a relevant question for many communities with changing demographics. Sheridan, a community leader who cares about safety and inclusion, asks, “What are the communities that we are blind to? That’s the question that hangs in the air a little bit, and we haven’t really thought through how we’re reaching out.”
Blog
September 19, 2011 - 3:09pm
September 19, 2011 - 2:44pm
Known to most as the “Music City” of the United States, Nashville, Tenn., is the heart of a vibrant country music scene and a mecca for those who hope to break into the industry. In recent years, however, Nashville has also been known by a different name. Since early 1990, the Southern state has gained over 200,000 foreign-born residents. With almost half of this population settling into the Nashville area, the U.S. State Department has designated Nashville as a “Destination City” for refugees.
Today, the city is home to a colorful mix of Kurdish, Somali, Ethiopian, Burmese, Sudanese, Iranian, Iraqi, and Bhutanese communities attempting to integrate into the traditional culture of Nashville.
September 18, 2011 - 1:04pm
Not In Our Town's partnership with the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services was featured in the Funding Attraction's article, "Collaborate, Cooperate, Innovate." The article begins:"Increasingly, federal agencies are stressing partnerships and collaborative approaches, not only in their calls for funding proposals, but also in terms of how some of its programs are administered. ... From a practical stance, in an environment where more groups are fighting for fewer resources, it makes sense. Why not leverage the expertise and resources of multiple organizations, agencies and people to make projects as strong as possible and give them the tools to succeed?"
September 16, 2011 - 1:49pm
1. Find a Screening Near You
September 15, 2011 - 10:31am
Yesterday we shared a video about the role of the Patchogue-Medford Library following the murder of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero. Today, we share with you a short video profiling librarian assistant, Gilda Ramos.
Librarian assistant Gilda Ramos became a translator for the Lucero family who came to Patchogue from Gualaceo, Ecuador as the community gathered to honor Marcelo Lucero. Ramos also translated for Latino residents at community events and meetings that were held at the library, the Patchogue Theatre, vigils and rallies. Like libraries across the country, the Patchogue-Medford Library is a place where people come together and feel supported and safe.