For Black History Month, we share this video, "Profiling Kevin," featuring a young man whose passion for racial and social justice leads him to engage his teachers and classmates about issues of diversity and equality in his school and community. Standing in a classroom at Palo Alto High School, 16-year-old Kevin tells his classmates, "We need to ... take a bite of the apple of knowledge and realize where we stand and where we need to go."
Blog
February 11, 2011 - 3:20pm
From our educational partners at Facing History and Ourselves comes this video of Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, a man called "one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced." Rep. Lewis was among the Freedom Riders and later chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that challenged segregation in the South. He wrote the foreword to Facing History's study guide for the documentary, Eyes on the Prize.
During Black History Month, we will be sharing a number of resources that touch upon the continued struggle and incredible inspiration that stems from African-American history. This video, in particular, captures the importance of coming together as a nation. As Rep. Lewis says:
February 7, 2011 - 5:46pm
The Not In Our Town movement has spanned more than 15 years and has included the grassroots efforts of communities fighting hate across the country. We've compiled this podcast—available to listen here or to download on your MP3 player—based on our Link TV special that chronicles our history from Billings, Mont. to the launch of NIOT.org in April 2010.
From Link TV:
Inspired by the story of Billings, Montana, where people took action every time a hate crime occurred, communities across the country are standing up to hate. Through creative and innovative actions, they are making their towns more safe and inclusive for everyone.
* Fremont, CA: After a fatal attack, community members send a powerful message of support to their Muslim neighbors.
February 4, 2011 - 2:59pm
In late November and early December, the city of Bloomington, Ind. stood behind the Jewish community after several acts of anti-Semitic vandalism. Rocks were thrown into the windows of the Chabad and Hillel houses at Indiana University. A glass case listing Jewish Studies faculty was broken. Swastikas were discovered in a student dorm. Then, just days before Hanukkah, Hebrew texts from the university and county libraries were taken to men’s bathrooms and urinated on. Bloomington—a college town—received national attention.
Bloomington’s quick and supportive response from the city’s university, police, city, and community leaders came from experience. Bloomington United, in particular, banded together after the mayor’s office approached local leaders to form a coalition in 1999. At the time, former Indiana University student and white supremacist Ben Smith went on a two-state shooting spree, which included the killing of a Korean graduate student at Indiana University. Read how the community responded to the recent acts.