Not in Our Town Northern California presents four stories that look at five communities dealing with and responding to hate violence. With this Educator Guide, you can build a unit around the entire film or you can focus on one or more of the individual Educator Modules. The modules are eight to 20 minutes long and can easily be incorporated into your classroom curricula. The lesson plans in this Educator Guide are presented in the order that the modules are listed here. The four modules are:

“STAGING A RESPONSE TO HATE,” Newark, Calif., 2002—After a transgender teen is killed by local youth in the suburban community of Newark, high school students, residents and civic leaders struggle with how to deal with a brutal and preventable crime.

“SUMMER OF HATE,” Sacramento and Redding, Calif., 1999—Sacramento mobilizes after the worst anti-Semitic attacks in the California capital’s history; Redding citizens find new strength in diversity after a prominent gay couple is murdered.

“REVERSING VANDALISM,” San Francisco, Calif., 2000—The San Francisco Public Library turns the mutilation of gay-themed books into an opportunity for creative community action.

“WELCOME SIGNS,” Anderson, Calif., 2004—The residents of the Shasta County town of Anderson join forces to make their values clear when a cross is burned on an African American family’s lawn.

This lesson is part of the Not In Our School Video Action Kit [2], a comprehensive toolkit featuring films, lessons, and resources designed to motivate students to speak out against bullying, and create new ways to make their schools safe for everyone.