1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-0100 ● Contact: Fawn E. Thomas, Public Affairs Specialist

 

 

October 29, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOT IN OUR TOWN COMES TO TOWN

What: Presentation by Not In Our Town documentary producer Patrice O’Neill

 

MORGANTOWN EVENT:

Where: WVU Mountainlair Gluck Theater

When: 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 3, 2009

CHARLESTON EVENT:

Where: YWCA of Charleston, 1114 Quarrier Street

When: 7:00 pm, Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Filmmaker Patrice O'Neill, producer of the award winning PBS documentary Not In Our Town, will be in Charleston and Morgantown to talk about creative, community-based approaches to intolerance. O’Neill will present short films and features from NIOT.org, a new social networking site and tool set for people working to stop hate crimes and build inclusive communities.

Now celebrating its second decade, the Not In Our Town Project was launched by a PBS documentary about how people in Billings, MT took action after a series of hate crimes plagued their town. Not In Our Town, and the follow up films and websites were produced by The Working Group an Oakland, CA –based nonprofit media company. The Not In Our Town Project (NIOT) has become one of the country¹s leading resources for communities and schools seeking tools to prevent hate violence

Not In Our Town is focused on the stories of ordinary people who take action in the face of hate crimes, and the civic leaders, activists and school leaders who are examining the underlying tensions that can lead to the violent manifestations of hate. The ultimate goal of the project is to share knowledge and encourage community activity that will help create communities that are inclusive and safe for everyone.

Charleston Event co-sponsors include: YWCA of Charleston; OneKanawha; the WV Hate Crime Task Force; Charleston Area Alliance; WV Chapter of the NAACP; ACLU of WV; WVFree; CreateWV; Covenant House; Charleston Stop the Hate Committee; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston; National Association of Social Workers WV Chapter; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Morgantown Event co-sponsors include: WV Hate Crime Task Force; WV Chapter of the NAACP; ACLU of WV; WVU President’s Office for Social Justice; WVU Council on Sexual Orientation; WVU Center for Black Culture and Research; WVU BiGLTM; Community Coalition for Social Justice; City of Morgantown; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.

These events are free and open to the public.

Parking for the Charleston event is available next to the YWCA.