Heather Sayler (left) and Leslie Galan accept the ImpACT Award for the "Quality of Life" category.

Congratulations to Not In Our Town Bowling Green [1]: winners of the second annual ImpACT Awards: Putting Practice into Action for the Betterment of Communities [2]. Not In Our Town Bowling Green is a partnership between the City of Bowling Green, OH and Bowling Green State University. The partnership was created "to affirm their commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion and to embrace and celebrate diversity." 

The award was presented by the International Town Gown Association (ITGA) [3]. Following a series of acts spurred by racism and intolerance. Bowling Green State University and the City of Bowing Green began investigating ways to combat issues of racism and hate in an attempt to create a safe space for students and community members. Not In Our Town Bowling Green was officially launched April 17, 2013, and since the launch, they have had over 20 events, including a Black Lives Matter forum; a "Coffee with Cops" event in which police officers and community members come together to discuss community issues; a "Tunnel of Oppression" art piece that aimed to educate students about issues of terminolgy, immigration, gender, identity, disability and other topics; and film screenings of Not In Our Town films. To read more about what Not In Our Town Bowling Green has done to improve the quality of life for students and community members in Bowling Green, click here [4]. 

To watch our film about Not In Our Town Bowling Green and the incidents that sparked its formation, click here to watch the trailer and request a DVD [5].