Released today!
In Not In Our Town: Light In the Darkness, the Patchogue-Medford Library plays a pivotal role as a safe haven for the local immigrant community. In Fall 2008, librarian Jean Kaleda and librarian assistant Gilda Ramos learned that people were afraid to attend evening ESL classes at the library for fear of being attacked while walking the streets at night. The librarians were in the process of organizing a public meeting with local officials to address their concerns. A week later, Marcelo Lucero was murdered and the library became a place for healing and dialogue. Spanish-speaking police officers, Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, and local leaders met with community members to address the concerns of the Latino population in Patchogue. A group of quilters worked in the basement of the library as they stitched "Healing Hands, Mending Hearts," a quilt they later presented to Joselo Lucero, Marcelo's brother.
Blog
September 14, 2011 - 11:29am
September 13, 2011 - 11:44am
Next week, our documentary Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness will premiere on PBS (check local listings). Here's a sneak peek of the film, featuring narrator Alfre Woodard.
For more information on the film, visit the Light in the Darkness page. You can also find a screening near you or host one in your town. Not In Our Town offers numerous resources to help make your screening successful.
September 12, 2011 - 5:16pm
After a summer spent putting the final touches on our film, Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness, we gathered together our supporters and friends of Not In Our Town and its mission for an advance screening on Sept. 7.
Before and after the film, several people reflected on the power of Not In Our Town films to change attitudes. Jon Logan, of the Reva and David Logan Foundation explained why he decided to support our mission.
"It was a great opportunity for myself and my family to put our money were are hearts are, really document what was going on in my community, but also to really show how communities dealt with these things," Logan said. "These were just everyday people who knew they wanted to do the right thing and their communities needed their help."
September 12, 2011 - 12:04pm
Alex Nogales, CEO and President of National Hispanic Media Coalition talks about our film in this video. "It's a very important documentary that everyone should see," he says, adding that it's crucial that "Latinos and all Americans stand together to take action against hate speech."
He encourages you to screen the film in your local communities and take action on their website, nhmc.org.
August 23, 2011 - 9:10pm
The September 21 PBS broadcast premiere of Light in the Darkness is fast approaching, and the Not In Our Town team is working hard to get the film and supporting resources into the hands of people around the country who will use it as a tool to prevent and respond to hate.