We met Eran Thompson when he came to the first Not in Our Town National Leadership Gathering in 2006 in Bloomington, IL. Eran was in high school during the time of the original events in Billings in the early 90s, but he became a community organizer and was asked to join in an effort to renew the local Not In Our Town group. After the Gathering, he went back and did just that!
The Not In Our Town Billings group has thrived under his leadership. Not In Our Town National took notice and invited Eran to serve as a member of our board of directors. It is because of Eran that we are all returning to Billings this June to celebrate the 20th anniversary with the second National Leadership Gathering. Oh and when you meet him, ask him to perform your favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote—he will nail it.
—Rhian Miller, co-founder of Not In Our Town/The Working Group
Eran Thompson, chair of Not In Our Town Billings
Tell us about your community and the work you do there.
not in our town billings
My name is Eran Thompson; I serve as Board Chairman for Not In Our Town Billings. The story of my community's stand against hate was the spark for the worldwide movement that is Not In Our Town.
NIOT.org's contribution to this movement: documenting the stories, creating videos that tell the stories, discussion guides, blog posts, etc. have become an invaluable asset in my organization's work to create a safe, inclusive community.
Last month, I visited the Not In Our Town offices in Oakland. We talked at length about how to expand the Not In Our Town Network and movement. As a leader of one of the NIOT communities, I pledged the following: