One highly motivated and persistent person can help spark significant action in a community.
That's what Jesse Castaneda did in Silicon Valley. Because of his actions, key civic leaders in Santa Clara County renewed their commitment to prevent hate crimes. Since August 2011, Castaneda has been screening the film Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness with civic leaders, teachers and immigrant groups. While many leaders in the area have been aggressive about addressing hate crimes, the new film, and Jesse's persistence helped shed light on the dangers of anti immigrant violence, and encouraged people to come together to find new solutions.
Although the activist works full-time in health care, is chair of an immigration reform coalition, and is expecting his first child in a few months, Castaneda has found the time and energy to use the latest Not In Our Town film to help galvanize his community.
Blog
December 12, 2011 - 2:34pm
"I have always felt that immigrants’ stories are the story of our nation. Leaving home, family, culture, and country and then facing the unknown in hopes of a better life is a heroic act. These quest stories reveal our shared history and our humanity and they define us as a nation," writes Walter Gallacher.
Inspired by National Public Radio's Story Corps Project, Walter Gallacher took it upon himself to record the unique stories and lives of some of his fellow community members in the Roaring Fork Valley of western Colorado. While the backgrounds of his subjects are as diverse as the trials and triumphs that have filled their lives, each of the storytellers' accounts revisit a familiar theme--the journey of immigration to the United States.
December 5, 2011 - 4:29pm
"This type of racist oppression has negatively affected the student body’s attitude towards education and their ability to succeed, and when I was told that I could change it, I was absolutely inspired! It was an extra plus for me that The Working Group pointed out nearby schools that had successfully done it."
Priya is a student at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, Calif. During the summer of 2011 she was among a group of students from all over the world who participated in the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC), sponsored by American University and held at the U.C. Berkeley Campus. Priya was part of the team that learned about Not In Our School and was involved in designing a public relations campaign to end bullying and harassment and promote intercultural acceptance and awareness.
December 2, 2011 - 4:45pm
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, we shipped off our next film, Not In Our Town: Class Actions to PBS.
Not in Our Town: Class Actions features three stories of students and their communities standing together to stop hate and bullying. Premieres on PBS stations in 2012.
Fifty years after James Meredith became the first black student at the segregated University of Mississippi, football fans resurface the chant, “The South will rise again.” Student leaders confront the divisive practice, sparking a campus visit from the Ku Klux Klan and a peaceful counter demonstration led by the student organization One Mississippi. Photo Credit: William Bender