Not In Our Town: Light In The Darkness follows a community in crisis after the fatal attack of a local immigrant resident. Stunned by the violence, diverse community stakeholders openly confront the crime and the divisive atmosphere, and commit to ongoing actions to prevent future hate crimes and intolerance.
Video Category: Immigrants
"We don't come over here to do people wrong. We come over here for a better future for our kids and for ourselves. " —Facing History student
In the video above, we meet the students of Newcomers High School in Long Island City, which specializes in teaching recent immigrants, and those of St. Luke's, a private middle school in Manhattan, who have come together to dialogue about difference and combat bias.
Here we have compiled Not In Our School/Not In Our Town videos centered around immigration. Whether they are students hosting a lunch-time demonstration, a policy-maker reflecting on his own history, or a group of librarians providing services for immigrants in their community--the people in the following videos share their own unique stories of how their actions have led to vital conversations about immigration in their own communities.
Local radio host Ana Maria Caraballo of La Fiesta WBON becomes an important connection for the community after the murder of Marcelo Lucero. On her radio call-in show, Ana Maria's switchboard lights up with calls from local residents who share stories, ask questions to local police about immigration issues, and seek information about their rights.
Not In Out Town: Light in the Darkness Web Extra
Patchogue, New York Mayor Paul Pontieri reflects on his family's history of immigration, his love of his hometown, and how his life has influenced his policy of inclusion for all Patchogue residents.
For more information on the film, visit niot.org/lightinthedarkness
The students of Newcomers High, a school for newly arrived immigrants, reached out to Joselo Lucero with letters of sympathy when his brother Marcelo was killed in 2008. Two years later, Joselo visits the school to speak to the students about what he learned from the loss of his brother, his experiences as an immigrant, and the difficult process of forgiveness.
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.
Librarian assistant Gilda Ramos became a translator for the Lucero family who came to Patchogue from Gualaceo, Ecuador as the community gathered to honor Marcelo Lucero. Ramos also translated for Latino residents at community events and meetings that were held at the library, the Patchogue Theatre, vigils and rallies. Like libraries across the country, the Patchogue-Medford Library is a place where people come together and feel supported and safe.
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.
This is the opening sequence for Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness, a powerful new documentary special about a town in New York standing together to take action after anti-immigrant violence devastates their community and thrusts them into the international media spotlight. The film will premiere on PBS on Sept. 21, 2011.
For more information, visit: http://www.niot.org/lightinthedarkness
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.