Dear NIOT Leaders,
As we face a summer season in the midst of a spreading pandemic, this 4th of July weekend is a moment to reflect on an inspiring new commitment to change on display in communities across the country as millions mobilize in support of Black Lives.
This may be the
largest protest movement in U.S. history
.
In this eNews and on
NIOT.org
we share stories of the on the ground leaders working to stop hate and racism together.
HOPE:
Our team produced
two new videos
highlighting the voices and actions of people in cities and towns across the country.
RECOGNITION:
Not In Our Town is honored to be among 12 organizations who received a special grant from
The Ford Foundation
for our anti-hate work in 2020.
REFLECTION:
As one of our NIOT leaders, Gwendolyn VanSant, observed in a
blog shared on NIOT.org this week
, each and every one of us needs to start
moving as an anti-racist
.
That means going
beyond
being allies,
people who are willing to stand alongside you to witness and testify and affirm your experience, and
becoming
accomplice
s and partners
, as
Eric K.Ward suggests
in pushing
local government and other community leaders to address systemic racism.
ACTION:
How can your local government support change?
NIOT is partnering on
LA vs HATE
,
a collaboration of community organizations in LA County. Learn more below and look for updates on how this initiative is working to improve hate crime reporting and response.
Local NIOT groups are mobilizing across the country.
New groups are forming in New Jersey, South Carolina, Montana and Maryland. Find out how NIOT Bloomington-Normal is helping to lead their town in deep discussions about how to stop racism. Welcome
Hadezbah Mikkelsen
(Dez) to the NIOT team who is working with new groups.
We'd love to hear from you about how you are working in your communities. Share your thoughts via social media or email us at info [at] niot [dot] org.
Onwards!
Patrice O'Neill, NIOT
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NEW VIDEOS: COMMUNITIES TAKING ACTION
From Lewiston, ME to Manhattan Beach, CA, and around the nation
, people are taking a stand to Stop Racism and support Black Lives Matter. What will you do in your town?
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In O'Fallon, Missouri
— a largely white suburban community — a group of recent high school graduates organized a protest against racism after George Floyd's murder. They thought that maybe a few hundred people would show up, but instead found support from nearly 2,000. Watch the video.
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We're thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. The LACCHR is dedicated to promoting positive human relations in an increasingly complex and multicultural county.
To help address the more than 36% rise in hate crimes there since 2013, the LACCHR has initiated a county-wide Anti-Hate program.
LA vs Hate
is a community-centered creative campaign to encourage and support all residents to unite against, report, and resist hate. Visit their website:
LA vs Hate
.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with all residents of the County of Los Angeles, determined to stand up to all forms of hate and bias.
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Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal March
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We join the leaders of Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal in celebrating the work of the Not In Our Schools chapter and the Black Student Union who held a march on Monday to stand up for African-American LGBTQ+ fellow citizens. Supported by the local chapter of the NAACP and NIOT, the march was attended by more than 100 students and members of the community. Here's an article from the local NPR station that provides a little
background to the rally
and the work that these students (pictured above) are doing in their high school.
This week,
NIOT-BN
hosted a
Virtual Screening Event
for nearly 100 community members and activists featuring the film
Camden’s Turn
about police reform in Camden, NJ. Breakout groups and a leadership follow-up session after the event brought out the need to take action to stop racial profiling, not just by police but by residents making racist reports to law enforcement.
If you're interested in hosting virtual screening events for your community, contact us at info [at] niot.org.
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MOVING AS AN ANTI-RACIST:
ACKNOWLEDGE, ALIGN, AMPLIFY, ASK, ACTIVATE
Gwendolyn VanSant
is the leader of Multicultural BRIDGE in Lee, MA and, nearly three years ago, her team helped launch the Not In Our Town movement in the Berkshires to unify communities throughout the county to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all. In this post, she talks about what can be done to create change and how to take care of our communities right now.
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DON'T MISS THESE RECENT BLOG POSTS
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We love to share stories and profiles from around the country, let us know about all your great work so we can highlight it!
Questions, concerns, or ideas? We'd love to hear from you!
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