Here’s the latest installment of “Where in the World is NIOT Now?” featuring notable news from Not In Our Town groups, and updates about “Not In Our Town” film screenings across the country.
Fort Collins, Colorado: Reflecting on the rise of hate speech in public discourse, Not In Our Town Alliance member Charlotte Miller wrote a letter to the editor of The Coloradoan, urging residents to stand up and speak out against intolerance:
“We must speak out against hateful speech and propaganda filled with untruths about people who are different in racial, ethnic, religious identity, as well as language use and political beliefs. If you hear someone saying discriminatory or derogatory things about those who differ from them, please speak up and let them know you disagree with them, and discrimination is not OK.”
Medford, Oregon: In response to recent neo-Nazi activity and last year’s burning of “KKK” on a biracial couple’s lawn, community groups from across Medford and Ashland, Oregon held a tolerance forum and “Not In Our Town” orientation.
“We want to be able to respond quickly when there’s an incident — and we want to be proactive and reduce incidents of hate. We’ve heard from parents and schools that message [of the KKK and neo-Nazi incidents] is still operating in our community. We felt we couldn’t just sit back and wait for the next thing to happen. Now is the time for our community to come forward and tell them we won’t tolerate it.” — Rich Rohde, executive director of Oregon Action
High Point, North Carolina: Tonight (9/10) marks the beginning of a fascinating year-long documentary series at High Point University called “Turn Down the Lights, Turn Up the Volume.” The series kicks off with a “Not In Our Town” screening and address by Dr. Kathleen M. Blee, Distinguished Professor and the Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Pittsburgh, who will discuss her research about women’s involvement in hate movements. We look forward to learning more about this series!
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