Gettysburg, PA, site of the famous battle that many consider a turning point in the Civil War, is commemorated annually with festivals, military re-enactments and celebrations of the town's rich history. This month marks the 150th anniversary of the historic battle.
Although America has become more inclusive, hate still sometimes rears its ugly head. In June 2010 the Aryan Nations came to Gettysburg to hold a rally 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. Check out this modern story of safety and inclusion in this video featuring the Adams Unity Coalition:
Pennsylvania
High school students in Rochelle, GA campaign for integrated prom
CREDIT: Clutch Magazine
High school students in rural Georgia are campaigning to end the racial segregation of dances at their school, according to WSAV3. The four friends behind the campaign, two of them black and two of them white, say it is unfair that they can’t go to prom together.
Since the integration of Georgia schools in the early 1970s, racially segregated proms have been organized as private parties without funding from the school. Campaign organizers say the segregation is strictly enforced, and last year a biracial student who tried to attend the white prom was turned away by police.
Not In Our School “Break Bullying” PSA featured on CNN website!
The NIOS anti-bullying PSA, “Break Bullying,” now has more than 39,000 views! CNN re-posted the video along with a blogpost on their “Schools of Thought” blog, featuring excerpts from an interview with the film’s creator, Mike Nelson. The news giant was impressed with the PSA, calling it a “gut-wrenching” portrayal of bullying that will hopefully make the cruel reality of childhood bullying more salient to adults.
You can watch the PSA on CNN’s blog.A Thin Line: MTV National Bullying Prevention Month
Earlier this month, a rabbi in Sunbury, PA placed a green dot on the NIOT.org map, symbolizing her anti-hate effort. Her synagogue, Congregation Beth El, and a local college had recently been targeted with anti-Semitic vandalism.
Rabbi Nina Mandel organized a rally that brought more than 250 people together--among them judges, city officials, and interfaith leaders--to stand together against hatred. She hopes to begin a Not In Our Town chapter in Sunbury.
These are words from Rabbi Mandel after a car in Congregation Beth El's parking lot was defiled with a swastika and the word "Jew."
I Am a Jew
Gettysburg, PA: When folks in Gettysburg, PA heard the Aryan Nations hate group was planning a rally on the very spot where Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous defense of American democracy, they knew they couldn't sit by in silence."Silence is the welcome mat for hate," notes Ann Van Dyke of Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission, who has worked with almost two dozen communities throughout the state that were targeted by hate groups. The activist groups that formed in those towns are now part of the Pensylvania Network of Unity Coalitions, longtime members of the Not In Our Town family.In Gettysburg, the Adams Unity Coalition had just six weeks to prepare. They had limited resources. And they had to compete with almost a dozen other festivals taking place that same weekend.
