After a series of anti-immigrant attacks by local teenagers ended with the hate crime killing of local immigrant Marcelo Lucero, art students at Patchogue-Medford High School wanted to do something positive for the Lucero family and spread a message of peace. Over the course of a year, students gathered after school to create We Are All United: No One Walks Alone, a mosaic dedicated to Marcelo Lucero.
Video Category: Preventative Strategies
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.
In the aftermath of the fatal beating of José Sucuzhañay, members of Brooklyn's immigrant and LGBTQ communities came together to brainstorm hate crime prevention strategies.
Across the country, students and teachers are sharing stories, joining together and taking action to create safe schools, free from stereotypes, intolerance, and hate. They’re part of a movement called Not In Our School (NIOS).
For more than a decade, Not In Our School has inspired students of all ages to develop and share innovative ways to resist bullying and promote an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion.
The Not In Our School videos, activities and resources on our website showcase the immense capacity, energy, and creativity of young people who are creating new ways to make their schools safe for everyone.
Visit NotInOurSchool.org to view all our Not In Our School videos.
Every January, Not In Our Town honors Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy by sharing the real life stories of people who are applying Dr. King’s principles today. Though the political landscape has changed since the Civil Rights era, his dream that the United States would fulfill its promise of equality has yet to become reality. But Dr. King’s work proves that change is indeed possible in this country.
The communities in Embracing the Dream: Lessons from the Not In Our Town Movement are living proof of that — town by town, school by school, they demonstrate that change is happening. Watch their stories below.
What will you do this Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Monday, January 20 - to Embrace the Dream?
Not In Our Town counters hate by producing media that connects and inspires people to create inclusive communities.
This video is a 4 minute excerpt from a 30-minute special we produced about communities uniting against hate. The full film can be found here.
To learn more about Not In Our Town, check out the rest of our website or contact info@theworkinggroup.org.
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WHO CARES about standing up to hate and intolerance? Tell us why you care: join our new video campaign by posting a video response on our YouTube page.
The Fort Collins Not In Our Town Alliance (NIOTA) created a book club to bring community members together to discuss issues of acceptance, diversity, and inclusion. This video documents NIOTA's discussion of "The Tortilla Curtain," a novel about the parallel stories of a Mexican couple and a white couple in Los Angeles. The book was chosen to generate discussion about immigration issues. (2:34)
Related Blog Post: Fort Collins Book Club a Novel Approach to Talking About Acceptance
When the Neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, came to Olympia, Washington, community members responded by celebrating diversity and unity in the community. (8 min 39 sec)
Related Local Lesson: A Guide to Responding to Hate Groups: Lessons from Olympia, Washington
An excerpt from Not In Our Town Northern California, a city unites in action after three synagogues are burned.
In the early morning hours of June 18, 1999, arsonists attacked three Sacramento area synagogues. Congregation B'nai Israel, Kenesset Israel Torah Center, and Congregation Beth Shalom were set ablaze within a 45-minute period. The fires destroyed thousands of books and historic Holocaust documents, and investigators found anti-Semitic fliers within the wreckage of two of the three synagogues. The attacks not only shook the foundation of Sacramento's Jewish community, but also shocked and horrified people of all faiths and backgrounds. Almost as quickly as the fires were started, the community of Sacramento mobilized to take a stand against anti-Semitic hate crimes.(5:59)
This film is part of the hour-long Not In Our Town: Northern California special. Click here to purchase the DVD and download our free educator guide here.