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.
Not In Our Town Videos (All)
Interfaith residents of Elk Grove, Calif. gathered on March 11 for a prayer vigil to honor two elderly Sikh community members who were gunned down early this month during their routine walk through the neighborhood. One of the victims in the shooting, 67-year-old Surinder Singh, suffered fatal wounds while his friend, 78-year-old Gurmej Atwal, remains in critical condition.
East Stockton Boulevard, a busy Elk Grove road was temporarily closed to traffic as residents of different ethnicities and religions lit candles and listened as a series of speakers, including the grandson and granddaughters of Singh, spoke solemnly about the tragic loss of their family member.
Many members of the community fear that the shootings were a hate-motivated crime and that the two might have been mistaken for people of Muslim faith. Just feet away from where the two were shot, Sikh and Muslim residents called for interfaith acceptance and respect.
"We are all Americans in this country."
—Fred Korematsu (1919-2005)
Fred Korematsu's fight for equality became a symbol of American freedom. Born in the U.S., Korematsu protested the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, claiming it was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld charges against him in 1944 and it would take nearly 40 years for his charges to be formally overturned. Korematsu said, "It was a great victory for all Americans and all Asians in this country, that this will never happen again."
In 2011, California celebrated its first Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Jan. 30. It is the first day named after an Asian-American in the history of the United States. Five hundred teachers in California teach Korematsu's story on that day.
“In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls: Plessy, Brown, Parks. To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu,” said President Bill Clinton when he presented Korematsu with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 1998.
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?
In the aftermath of a hate crime, how do teachers open a conversation with their students about hate and intolerance? After seven high school students assaulted and killed Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, NY, local educators were shocked that this could happen in their town. At South Ocean Middle School, Principal Linda Pickford wanted to create a safe environment where her students could express their feelings about the tragedy, and share their ideas about diversity, immigration, inclusion and respect.
When Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri suggested that Principal Pickford host an art exhibit called “Embracing Our Differences,” she agreed that art was a great medium to explore these important issues, and she mounted the collection of banners on the front lawn of her school.
On the one-year anniversary of Marcelo Lucero's death, his brother Joselo visited South Ocean Middle School and spoke to the students about his experiences and his hopes for the future. At that time, Not In Our Town filmed the exhibit for Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness our upcoming documentary film about the community response to this tragic hate crime.
Read the full story on our blog.
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.
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/notinourtown
In June 2010, the Aryan Nations came to Gettysburg to hold a rally on the on the historic battlefield where Abraham Lincoln delivered his most stirring defense of American democracy. The Adams Unity Coalition, a group made up of several local organizations, came together to hold their own peaceful rally across town that celebrated and embraced the diversity in their community.
Read more about this rally from in our blog post, Tainting the Ground where Abe Lincoln Walked and in our Local Lesson, Historic Gettysburg Battlefield "Re-consecrated" after Hate Group Rally.
Join the conversation on the NIOT Facebook Page.
Credits:
Executive Producer: Patrice O'Neill
Producer: Kirthi Nath
Editor: Jill Strong
Camera: Steve Sapienza
Music: David Molina
Additional rally footage courtesy of Russia TV
This is what the nation did not see on the evening news: a peaceful gathering of nearly 1000 people in downtown Oakland on July 8, 2010, following the involuntary manslaughter verdict of BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in the shooting death of Oscar Grant.
Executive Producer: Patrice O'NeillProducer: Adrienne CaloCamera: Anthony Lucero and Adam ChristyMusic courtesy: Turf Unity Music ProjectSpecial thanks to: Youth Radio reporter Pendarvis Harshaw. Learn more about Youth Radio at http://www.youthradio.org
After being set on fire, 15-year old Southern Missouri teen seeks justice. (5:22)
Joselo talks about what it means to remember his brother and go to the trial everyday.
Since the killing of his brother, Marcelo, in November of 2008, Joselo Lucero has worked to share his brothers story and raise awareness about anti-immigrant violence. Now one of the seven teens charged in the killing is standing trial, and Joselo will be attending court every day until a verdict is reached.
Send a message of support to Joselo and his family in the comments section below.