Our hearts go out to the Lucero family and the people of Patchogue, who have worked for years to repair the damage caused by the traumatic hate crime killing of Marcelo Lucero in 2008.
light in the darkness
Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead is the story of how Meeink went from being a violent Neo-Nazi leader and recruiter to a civil rights activist and upstander against hate and intolerance. His story proves that tolerance can be learned at any time, even in the most unlikely circumstances.
As a Jewish-American woman, curiosity about the Neo-Nazi movement sparked my interest in Meeink’s story. I could not wrap my head around the fact that such violent hate for another group of people still exists, even after the atrocities of the Holocaust and other genocides. Meeink’s individual story, along with stories I have been exposed to while interning at Not In Our Town, have provided me with a better understanding of where this hate comes from.
The attached guide was created by Church World Service's Immigration and Refugee Program.
This sign was posted on a fence a few yards from where Marcelo Lucero was killed in a hate crime attack on Nov. 8, 2012 in Patchogue, NY.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Marcelo Lucero’s hate crime killing in Patchogue, NY. Marcelo’s death unveiled a pattern of anti-immigrant attacks that had gone unnoticed for years. We documented Patchogue’s efforts to heal divisions after tragedy in Light in the Darkness, and we remember Marcelo Lucero today because immigrants are still vulnerable to violence.
A young Mayan man recently came to our office to share the story of how he was severely beaten by white supremacists on the streets of San Francisco last year. “I felt the first blow hit me and from there it didn’t stop,” he told us. “I didn’t know how to escape.”
Please join us on Oct. 30 at 6pm for a screening of Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness at the San Francisco Public Library. This PBS film by Patrice O'Neill and The Working Group tells the story of people in a Long Island village taking action after immigrant resident Marcelo Lucero is killed in a hate crime attack by seven local high school students.
The story provides a blueprint for people who want to do something before intolerance turns to violence. The film has been screened in hundreds of community and public media events. After the screening, there will be a brief discussion with producers including Charene Zalis, and an opportunity to learn more about the the impact of the film in communities across the country.
Tuesday October 30, 6pm
San Francisco Public Library Main Library, Koret Auditorium100 Larkin St.San Francisco, CA 94102415.557.4277
For more information, contact San Francisco Public Library at publicaffairs@sfpl.org or Not In Our Town at info@niot.org.
Watch the Light in the Darkness trailer and learn more about the film here.
Light in the Darkness is on PBS’s Hispanic Heritage Month programming lineup, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Check your local TV listings for broadcast times, but also consider bringing the film home to your community. Nearly 200 communities nationwide have come together to watch Light in the Darkness and discuss issues relevant to their communities.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity to discuss the safety and inclusion of new immigrants to your town. When you host a screening, you also get access to our comprehensive Screening Kit, that includes a planning and discussion guide as well as press materials to get the word out.
Sign up for a screening today.
Preview the opening of Light in the Darkness, featuring narrator Alfre Woodard.
Sign up for a screening today.
That's why we talk. That's why we have dialogue: to learn about the things that we are unaware, they said. We all come from different backgrounds, and it takes a collective effort to weave a tapestry that paints an accurate portrait of our community.
By David Alexander, Staff Writer at the Times-Republican
Sister Chris Feagan said people are like M&Ms: they come in a variety of colors, but they are all the same inside.
Mark your calendars: “Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness” is one of the encore programs featured in PBS’s Hispanic Heritage Month programming lineup, which runs from September 15 to October 15. (Check your local listings for “Light in the Darkness” airtimes.)
Today we would like to share with you a note from one of our monthly donors. Kathryn is a retired teacher from Oregon, and she has been sending us a monthly donation since October 2011. Inside this colorful card, Kathryn addresses Not In Our Town Executive Producer Patrice O'Neill and our team.
We are so grateful to all of our supporters for helping to make this work possible. We invite you to join Kathryn and our other regular donors by making a monthly contribution to Not In Our Town.
Dear Patrice and the rest of the Working Group,
Scene from Light In the Darknes
In Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness, we witness how students can become upstanders, even in the wake of violent hate crimes. The 60-minute documentary premiered on PBS in 2011, but is now available for purchase as a 27-minute classroom version.
This film is extremely pertinent to the educational community for several reasons. In addition to the importance of learning about how the community came together to respond to hate, it brings up serious questions for educators, for example:
How did these young people routinely participate in what they called "beaner-hopping" ("beaner" is a racial slur and "beaner-hopping" refers to beating up Latino immigrants) without their teachers and parents noticing?
Why did other students who knew what was going on never speak up?
What was the impact of the media's hateful rhetoric on the attitudes of youth in the schools?
Educators across the U.S. have begun to use the film as a springboard for addressing issues of immigration, bullying, and teaching students to be upstanders (speak up and take action).