By Patrice O’Neill
The strength and beauty of Salt Lake City were on display in early November during three days of NIOT film presentations, meetings with officials, civic, faith and community leaders, and a spirited Student Unity Summit attended by over 100 youth from local schools. The summit and NIOT film screening were part of SLC’s outstanding participation in United Against Hate Week in 2025.
Salt Lake City- United Against Hate Week
Utah community and elected leaders, including District Attorney Sim Gill and County Mayor Jenny Wilson, made their values clear in a press conference announcing UAH Week
These civic officials were joined by diverse community leaders and faith groups to share a united message about their city’s commitment to improving hate crime reporting and response. The coalition, known as Community Partners Against Hate, was initiated by Jay Jacobson, a retired public health physician, through the Jewish Federation after the deadly antisemitic attack at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The group has grown, and each year has brought a large delegation to the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, creating a learning community of committed leaders. They have worked at the local and state levels to urge residents to report hate crimes.
"Participating in United Against Hate Week reinforces a truth we hold closely in Salt Lake City: that inclusion is not passive—it's a commitment we make every day, in every policy, and with every neighbor." -Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, UT Mayor
Utah residents are still reeling from the killing of Charlie Kirk in October, as they seek ways to counter the threat of targeted violence. The danger of political violence remains clear across the country, and in Salt Lake City, leaders and community members are working to counter the dehumanization and hate that can lead to targeted attacks against their neighbors. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, in the aftermath of Kirk’s killing, as he presented a call to reject revenge, declared, “all of us will try to find a way to stop hating our fellow Americans.”
Student Unity Summit
NIOT was invited to Utah to present “Repairing the World: Stories From the Tree of Life” at the second annual Student Unity Summit co-sponsored by 11 local organizations, including Salt Lake City School District, the SLC Mayor’s Office, Salt Lake County, the Jewish Federation of Utah, and the Utah Dept of Public Safety. Liz Paige of the Jewish Federation of Utah organized the student convening, with support from Community Partners Against Hate. The Summit was inspired by the Eradicate Hate Youth Summit in Pittsburgh, which also presents the NIOT film as a launch for the student discussion and action plans.
After they viewed Repairing the World, I led a discussion with students about their challenges in addressing hate at school. Their responses were raw and real. A young Latina student spoke about reporting incidents in middle school, yet getting no support from her teachers or school leaders, a group of students discussed how they were grappling with a racist hazing incident. “I worry about kids at our school who are hungry,” one student reported. “I am also hungry,” he said. It was a raw and vulnerable moment for this student, and all in the room who heard him.
If given the opportunity, young people will share their concerns and speak to adults and each other about what is happening in their world. How can our educators and communities help them lead each other away from bias, bigotry, and exclusion?
The Student Summit provides an opening for students to create an atmosphere of belonging in their schools. The afternoon was devoted to brainstorming and planning for students to take long-term action in their schools. Presentations by One Kind Act A Day and an idea bank presented by the Summit conveners helped provide ideas for student activities. We look forward to learning from the follow-up actions of Salt Lake students and the school leaders who support them.
Public Media Engages with Community Partners Against Hate
Public Media station KUED has been a partner for NIOT’s community engagement efforts since the first film aired in December 1995. The commitment to covering local action to address bigotry and highlight belonging and inclusion continues. Mary Dickson's @PBSUtah show Contact featured leaders Olivia Jaramillo and DA Sim Gill discussing the importance of United Against Hate Week and an interview with me about the NIOT movement.
Not In Our Town Film Screening at First Baptist Church
As part of UAH Week, Community Partners sponsored a screening event featuring Not In Our Town. Former State Senator Karen Hale saw the original Not In Our Town film many years ago and wanted to share it with fellow leaders at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (LDS) Communications Council. Rev Curtis Price of First Baptist Church welcomed the audience. Karen Hale and Liz Paige of the Jewish Federation presented an honorary plaque to Jay Jacobson for his outstanding work to form and develop Community Partners Against Hate. Many in the audience, including elected officials like Sim Gil, attended the event to honor Jacobson’s contribution to the community.
The original NIOT Billings film was thirty years ago, yet speakers in the discussion made it clear that the story still hit home. They talked about how the broad-based community mobilization against hate in Billings was needed more than ever. They worried about the escalation of violence in the intervening years, the hardening of divisions, and the role of government and social media in stoking bigotry, especially targeting immigrants. At the same time, they expressed firm alignment with the core message of the film: each of us has a role to play in countering hate and standing with our neighbors. As with almost every meaningful screening of NIOT films, a reported hate incident by someone in the audience brought the issue home for everyone.
“My granddaughter came home shaking,” reported an audience member, who told the story of a child who witnessed one of her fellow grade school students being excluded from play with racist taunts during recess. Although the family is struggling with how to address school leaders, all expressed deep concern for children who may be experiencing hate, and find guidance for children and their parents who want to speak up. The incident occurred outside the SLC school district, but members of Community Partners are seeking ways to address the issue and figure out how to encourage students and school leaders to report hate and bias incidents so that harm can be challenged when it happens.
Sustaining Community Partners Against Hate
Community Partners Against Hate exemplifies the structure NIOT outlined for Hate and Bias Action Teams, a pilot project that is operating in Pittsburgh. ( Stand For All Pittsburgh) With support from the federal government, and based on thirty years of knowledge from the communities we’ve worked with, NIOT developed core principles and strategies for successful, sustainable anti-hate coalitions in local cities and counties.
Through meals and discussions with this collaborative team, it became clear that Salt Lake City has the know-how and commitment to build something enduring. The challenge, as so often is the case, is who will lead this process and how it can be funded. NIOT looks forward to continuing to learn from this community and sharing what they do next with cities and towns across the country.
At the press conference for United Against Hate Week, Liz Paige made an appeal to news outlets and the community:
“Join us. Cover the stories of students choosing courage over cynicism. Share Community Partners Against Hate resources so families know where to turn. If your organization wants training, call us. If you witnessed an incident, report it. If you're unsure what to do, reach out, and we will walk with you. Utah is at its best when we look out for one another. United Against Hate Week gives us the structure.”
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