While the rest of the world turns to Brazil and the World Cup for soccer this week, we share this great story from Nashville, TN, where a diverse group of players came together on the field. Not In Our Town partnered with Nashville Public Television’s “Ten Days of Peace” activities on the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. This short film illustrates how peaceful activities can go a long way toward building bridges and creating community.
InterFACE Ministries hosted soccer games that brought together soccer enthusiasts from around the globe. Rather than letting national, religious, or cultural differences create divisions, the players from Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, and Nashville were able to bond using the common language of their love of soccer.
One player from Nashville reflected on his 16-year friendship with a Rwandan teammate, saying, “You just go out and play, and through those interactions you form pretty deep bonds.”
Blog
June 9, 2014 - 5:36pm
By Becki Cohn-Vargas, Not In Our School Director
This blog was originally featured on Who’s That Lady Entertainment.
Left Out in the Cold, Even in Summer: What to Do About Relational Bullying
In seventh grade, I admit, I was not always the nicest person. One day, two of my friends and I went up to Louise H.’s house. We were giggling as we rang the bell. We had it all planned. When she answered the door, we were going to run. We just did it to be mean, for no other purpose. She came out and we took off. As we sprinted down the street laughing, I did not think twice about how Louise must have felt.
June 6, 2014 - 10:21am
Video: Oak Ridge Paints Over Pain
The community in Oak Ridge, TN, recently came together to use art to speak up against bullying. The activity, called Paint Over Pain, brought in community members ranging from young children to recent high school graduates to paint powerful messages of hope in the face of bullying. The video features many art pieces created during the activity as well as messages such as, “Be yourself,” “Silence is acceptance” and “You are not alone.”
June 5, 2014 - 10:56am
Not In Our Town Executive Producer Patrice O'Neill appeared on NewsRadio 104.9 FM's Gulf Coast Morning and talked about Not In Our Town's vision as well as some upcoming events including the 2014 National Leadership Gathering and the Gold Star Cities project.
Gulf Coast Morning is broadcast out of Biloxi, Missouri. Hosts Mike and Steve discussed Not In Our Town's history, strategies for fighting hate, and the importance of uniting communties to start their own Not In Our Town campaigns.
Listen to the full interview with Patrice O'Neill below!
June 4, 2014 - 6:19pm
Not in Our Town is proud to announce that the National Leadership Gathering in Billings, Montana this month will include groundbreaking leaders in hate crime prevention and community policing. Among them are San Francisco Police Commissioner Victor Hwang (subject of the Not in Our Town film A Prosecutor’s Stand), San Diego Deputy District Attorney Oscar Garcia, and Lt. Brian Murphy, shot 17 times defending the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin where six worshippers were killed in a hate crime. Murphy is featured in the Not In Our Town film, Waking in Oak Creek, that premiered this spring.