Watch the June 25th virtual concert above with ARKAI, a dynamic string duo out of New York with genre-bending sounds. This hour-long event will also feature leaders of NIOT community groups from across the country. The incredible event launched our year-long 25th anniversary celebration!

ABOUT NOT IN OUR TOWN

We could have never guessed a single story would launch a movement. 25 years ago, The Working Group sent a film crew to Billings, MT to document a story about working people, ordinary people, who stood up with their neighbors after a series of hate crimes. 

Together they said, "Not In Our Town." 

That became the title of our landmark media and engagement project, “Not In Our Town.”

It changed the way we made films, and it changed the way we thought about the process of community transformation. The Billings story opened up a conversation about how we deal with hate crimes. The Billings story demonstrated that the responsibility for dealing with intolerance lies with all of us.

We took our film to town hall meetings across the country. We watched as communities formed their own groups. They were saying "Not In Our Town" in Illinois and New Jersey and Colorado. University students in New York and California were saying "Not On Our Campus, Not In Our Residence Hall." In Maine, a middle school teacher started the first Not In Our School campaign. Not In Our School is now a national leader in bullying prevention.

Like Billings, the solutions came from the ground up. They countered division with unity. There were songs and flash mobs. Signs and pledges. They went to their city council and human relations commission meetings. They wrote to their local newspapers. They raised the issue of hate crimes, said that no resident should be targeted because of who they are. Some worked together to heal after murder, other worked to prevent tragedy before it happened.

For more than two decades, we have been filming, sharing stories and tools, and helping to empower communities. 

We need you now more than ever. We can't wait to see what you do next.