New NIOT Virtual Conversation Series - JOIN US!
Thank you to those of you who attended our first virtual conversation in August!

Join us for our next conversation Responding Locally to Rising Hate and Conflict — An Introduction to Ideas and Action Tools for Communities. Details to come soon. 

How can we be proactive in our local communities in the face of escalating conflict?

Protests continue around the country. As concerned people gather in the streets to call out injustice, armed militia members are showing up, too, often in communities that are not their own, with violent intentions. At the same time, hate crimes are rising in our communities coupled with hateful rhetoric on social media related to out country's deep political divides. Learn about challenges from your peers across the country and national experts will provide guidance and tools for action. 

We'll send out an invite closer to the event. We urge all NIOT group leaders and members to join us for this important discussion!

Also, below don't miss the NIOT Podcast featuring Susan Bro, resources for students going back to school, advice for holding a virtual NIOT screening with your group to discuss police reform, and planning underway for the annual United Against Hate Week (Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 2020).

—Patrice O'Neill, Founder of NIOT
Video: Watch the Conversation
Click on the graphic above to watch the video
and share this link with your friends!
Thank you to Pardeep Kaleka, executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee,
and all our terrific co-sponsors:
 
 IAOHRA

The Not In Our Town podcast features powerful voices from people across the country who are taking a stand against hate and working to create safe and inclusive communities for all. In this episode, Patrice O’Neill, filmmaker and founder of Not In Our Town, talks to Susan Bro, a mother and teacher who became a passionate social activist after her 32-year-old daughter Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist in the Charlottesville protest on Aug. 12, 2017. Listen now

Back to School:
Tips for Students, Teachers and Parents for Calling Out Bullying and Hate Speech

Millions of schoolchildren across the country are returning to school this month — some virtually and some in person. We want to remind you that our Stop Hate Action Kits provide introductory advice to assist school leaders, faculty, and parents on effective ways to prevent, respond to, and lead ongoing action to address bullying, hate, and bias incidents.

Teachers: Join Reimagining Migration for a Workshop for Educators featuring Not In Our Town Films and Action Steps.
September 15 @ 7pm EDT
Sign up here to attend.

Coming Soon: Building Identity Safety and Addressing Systemic Racism Becki Cohn Vargas talks about her new book on the NIOT Blog.

Host a Virtual NIOT Film Screening
and Community Discussion
COVID challenges our usual means of interaction, so needed in socially fraught times. Zoom and other social media platforms provide a space for people to come together. The NIOT group in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, recently hosted a Zoom film screening and community conversation around police reform in their city.

Community members watched the NIOT film Camden's Turn together and then broke out into smaller groups to talk about policing reform. In a post at the NIOT blog, Mike Matejka writes about the event and shares advice about hosting your own NIOT screening. Read his post
United Against Hate and Masked Against Covid
Mark Your Calendars!
UNITED AGAINST HATE WEEK
Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 2020

As many of you know, United Against Hate Week is a call for local civic action by people in every Bay Area community to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns and cities.

Please visit the United Against Hate Week official website to learn more about activities for this year: unitedagainsthateweek.org
Follow @NotInOurTown on Instagram

If you're on Instagram, please consider following us there. We'll follow you back! We try to post once a day. It's another great way to stay informed and learn more about other groups, online webinars from our partners and much more. Join us on Instagram!
We love to share stories and profiles from around the country, let us know about all your great work so we can highlight it!

Please stay in touch via [email protected] or facebook.com/notinourtown and let us know your news and the actions that are keeping you connected and strong.

Questions, concerns, or ideas? We'd love to hear from you!