Not In Our Town partnered with Welcoming America around the release of our film, Light in the Darkness, a PBS documentary that explores how a New York village came together following anti-immigrant violence.
Welcoming America works with affiliates nationwide to engage the towns that welcome immigrants. In addition to online activities that feature Not In Our Town, Welcoming America hosts National Welcoming Week, starting on Sept. 13!
Blog
September 8, 2014 - 5:22pm
The fatal shooting of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO has sparked dialogue in cities around the country. City leaders are responding to the events by hosting town hall meetings with community members.
Citizens bring their questions, concerns, and opinions to the table in hopes that issues such as police-community relations, racial tension, and transparency are addressed. Read on to see how individual cities are attempting to create local solutions after the events in Ferguson.
Nashville, TN
A panel of community leaders in Nashville, TN took questions and comments from the audience at their town hall meeting in August, according to Nashville Scene.
September 3, 2014 - 9:00am
Student sit-in at Lewis & Clark College, Amy Rosenheim
By Karissa Tom
Last fall, racist slurs targeting black students at my school rocked my school community. Though black students make up a small minority of the school’s demographic, the hate-filled graffiti and the overheard jokes about “white power” left the whole student body feeling scared and threatened.
The initial reaction was shock and disbelief. At my seemingly accepting school in a politically liberal state, most people who heard about the incidents responded with, “This could never happen here!” Yet the sad truth remains that it did happen and that, when it did, my college as an institution and a community was unprepared for the consequences.
August 29, 2014 - 3:31pm
Community Unites to Remember Bryan Higgins
More than 75 people came together at Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo, MI to remember the life of Bryan ‘Feather Lynn’ Higgins on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
Higgins, a member of the LGBTQ community, was severely beaten in San Francisco, CA on Aug. 10. According to the Examiner, police said they are investigating the case as attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. His death has yet to be declared as a hate crime.
His family took him off of life support at San Francisco General Hospital at 3:33 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, while friends and gatherers in Kalamazoo released balloons into the sky at the same time, 6:33 p.m. Eastern time.
August 28, 2014 - 3:59pm
While the investigation continues into the circumstances around Michael Brown’s death, this conversation continues about the larger context, including racial disparities, police-community relations, and protests and actions in St. Louis and beyond.