Local Lessons
The Need for Hate Crime Laws
Motivated by a hateful ideology, perpetrators of hate crime seek to terrorize not just an individual, but a victim's entire community. Without a swift response, these crimes can spiral into increased tension, hostility and violence. However, when combined with positive community action, the enforcement of hate crime laws can send a powerful, countervailing message which reassures victims and shuns perpetrators. The laws do not punish beliefs or speech....
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"Sshh, the University of Mississippi is being integrated," they said, and I remember glancing at the television set and seeing mean faces. I remember very, very angry people, and I simply remember saying to myself, "I would never go to a place like that.”
—Dr. Donald Cole, Assistant Provost, University of Mississippi, on learning about the integration of the university in 1962.
Here is an extended transcript of Not In Our Town's interview with Dr. Donald Cole,...
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“We felt like we were part of something bigger, sharing what we were doing, and the idea of being leaders was very inspiring.”
— Becki Cohn Vargas, Ed.D.
Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas is a veteran educator and longtime ally of Not In Our Town. In this piece, penned in 2008, Dr. Cohn-Vargas lays out the lessons from the Palo Alto Unified School District, which embraced Not In Our School activities in 2007. Although Dr. Cohn-Vargas is no longer with the district, she has been...
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"Who is this group that's coming? And I realized ... it's Fred Phelps and my heart just dropped. I can't believe they're coming. Why us? Out of all the schools, why us?" —Daisy Renazco, Gunn High School teacher02/2011—Above is one of NIOT.org's most popular videos, "Gunn High School Sings Away Hate Group," which has garnered more than 225,000 views on our YouTube channel. Ellen DeGeneres, in a Tweet, said she was "so unbelievably proud of Gunn High School in...
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Our original Not In Our Town film sparked a movement. Citizens across the United States came together to stop hate in their respective towns. And college students were no exception.
Michigan State University, University of South Alabama, Knox College (Illinois), University of Akron (Ohio), University of Utah, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Cornell University, Ithaca College, University of Wisconsin, and John Carroll University (Ohio) were among those who created groups, hosted...
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By Kristy Blackburn, Daisy Renazco, Todd Summers
NIOS Coordinators/Teachers
Hi everyone! We are very excited about the launch of the new Not In Our Schools (NIOS) website. This is going to be a great resource for schools. My colleagues and I are going to be sharing our experiences over the past 8-9 years with NIOS at our school in Palo Alto, Calif. What started out as a small campaign led by our Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) has evolved into something amazing in our community and school...
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Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations volunteers in the Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho July 4, 2007 parade, carrying small billboards honoring civil rights leaders from throughout history.
For many in the anti-hate movement, the lessons that have emerged from Northern Idaho are legendary.
People like Father Bill Wassmuth, whose house was bombed by neo-Nazis in Coeur D'Alene, helped influence many community leaders working to address the dangers of hate.
The Kootenai County Task Force...
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