When No Hate in the Hammer launched in August 2019 we met in person and made a commitment to action. We talked about ways to fight hate as a community (e.g. SPLC’s Ten Ways to Fight Hate) and that we could only reach our goal with a broad coalition from all across Hamilton.

On August 5 we’ll meet online for A Year of (re)Commitment. This is a chance to highlight what anti-hate work across Hamilton could look like, by sharing how we’ve individually taken up this challenge.

We invite you to use a laptop, phone, or tablet to record a short (30-90 second) video to answer this question:

What have you done in the past year to combat the rise of hate in Hamilton?

Your video will be included with others in a short presentation to open the August 5 virtual event and spark further discussion.

Who can participate?

We want to hear from you. This activity is for members of No Hate in the Hammer, but we welcome you to join us. Members commit to working together to make Hamilton an inclusive city. Submitting a video can be your first NHH activity!

What should I talk about?

If you’re looking for ideas, we recommend you choose one of the Ten Ways to Fight Hate and talk about how you’ve made it work in your own life. How would you explain it in a way that could inspire others to follow your example? What do others have to know to be able to fight hate in the same way?

If you prefer, you might talk about:

• What you plan to do in the coming year to fight hate
• What you’ve learned that has made you a better ally
• The challenges you’ve faced in your personal anti-hate work

Submission should follow the same rules we agreed to at the campaign launch event:

• Share your own experience, not others’; use “I” statements
• Respect and value others’ contributions
• Promote empathy
• Treat this work as an opportunity to learn and grow
• Don’t assume
• Seek unity, not separation
• Be open and non-judgemental
• Treat others the way you want to be treated

We welcome bilingual and French language submissions. This page is also available in French.

How do I make my video?

If you need some hints, email us at info@nohateinthehammer.ca. Let us know what kind of device you want to use and we’ll send you the how-to to get yourself on camera.

Keep it short! Under 90 seconds (a minute and a half) will allow us to include many voices. (There will be opportunities to say more very soon!)

Submitted videos will be shown in a webstream at 1080×720 (720p, HD). Videos of different resolution or aspect ratio will be scaled and letterboxed. If you don’t know what this means, ignore this paragraph!

How do I submit my video?

However you like!

If you’re comfortable with social media platforms, post your video to your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok account with the hashtag #NoHateInTheHammer.

You can submit your video by email to info@nohateinthehammer.ca, or contact us there for an upload link to a files that is too big to email.

What else can I do?

We know that appearing on video is not for everyone. Here are some other ways to participate:

• Write a poem. Record your voice narration alongside footage of your favourite garden, or ask us to connect you with a narrator who will read it for you.
• Send us a photo of your favourite place in Hamilton and a short sentence (or a single word) about what anti-hate organizing means to you.
• Share a picture of your favourite anti-hate protest sign, whether its one you saw online, photographed in person, or made yourself.

Anti-hate work needs creative ideas. Share yours with us.

Submission Guidelines

• Send your submission to info@nohateinthehammer.ca by 5pm on Monday, August 3, 2020. If you post a video to social media, email us to let us know to look for it.
• You will be asked to give No Hate in the Hammer permission to include your submission in videos that may be posted publicly, and to certify that everyone who appears in your video has agreed to give this permission.
• We reserve the right to choose which videos to show and to show a portion of submitted videos. (We expect to show all videos in their entirety.)
• No compensation or prize is offered for submissions.

Happy filming!