Santa Cruz County United for Safe and Inclusive Communities (SCCUSIC)
Not in Our Town is proud to partner with cities across California and around the country for United Against Hate Week, an unprecedented collaboration of municipalities, school districts, and civic organizations to raise awareness and spark action to stop hate and build inclusion.
About United Against Hate Week
United Against Hate Week (Nov. 12-20, 2023-dates are extended in Santa Cruz!) is a call for seven days of local civic action by people in every community to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns and cities.
United Against Hate was created by civic leaders in direct response to the sharp rise in expressions of hate in our communities. We want to empower local residents to take action in their local communities and alter the course of this growing intolerance.
When cities and their residents work together against hate, we can restore respect and civil discourse, embrace the strength of diversity and build inclusive and equitable communities for all.
Join us! You can post signs, host events, share stories, attend rallies, and connect with schools and neighborhood civic institutions. Nothing is too small, because working united in each community is what will defeat hate in all communities.
Who We Are
Santa Cruz County United for Safe and Inclusive Communities (SCCUSIC) is an informal but robust countywide collaborative group that works to reduce hate and bias across Santa Cruz County and strengthen our response when incidents do occur. Those involved come from all walks of life, including representatives of diverse racial and ethnic groups, the homeless, elected officials, law enforcement, religious leaders, and many others. The group was started in honor of Taliesin Namchai Meche, who was killed in a hate crime in 2017.
SCCUSIC receives invaluable advice and encouragement from Not In Our Town (www.niot.org), which spearheads the national movement to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all.
We started out by organizing countywide activities to mark United Against Hate Week in fall 2021, which was very successful. We have been educating ourselves about how hate and bias incidents are currently handled across the County, where there is a need for improvement, and how SCCUSIC might help fill those needs.
What We Do
Education — Organize activities and events that raise community awareness about hate and bias incidents;
Referrals — Point victims of hate and bias to existing community organizations, programs, and services that may be able to help them deal with hate and bias directed at them; and
Advocacy — Advocate for specific improvements in how hate and bias incidents are handled in Santa Cruz County and its incorporated cities (Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Capitola, and Santa Cruz).
What We Don't Do
As a group of volunteers, we are not able to intervene in specific incidents. At this time, we are not in a position to mediate such incidents, to represent or speak for victims of hate and bias, nor to advocate on behalf of individual victims.
Join the SCCUSIC Mailing List
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