(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Feb. 29, 2012) - - - The goal of shaping a community that is free of hate, racism and violence shape the discussion surrounding the showing of the popular PBS showing of Not in Our Town: Light in the Darkness at Columbia State Community College's March 14 seminar. The seminar will begin at 11 a.m. in the Napier room in the Jones Student Center on the Columbia campus. The film documents the 2008 attacks by a group of seven local teenagers against Latino residents on the Long Island, New York town of Patchogue. The attacks culminated in the killing of 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant, who had resided in the community for more than 13 years.

Patrice O'Neill, executive producer and director of Light in the Darkness and founder of The Working Group, the group fostering the discussion groups that follow each screening of the film, said "As the country becomes increasingly divided about immigration, we hope this film sparks constructive discussions that separate policy differences from human issues and community safety, so that what happened in Patchogue will never happen again."

The seminar begins with registration at 11:00 a.m., with the screening of Not in Our Town: Light in the Darkness at 11:45 a.m. A discussion group will follow the screening from 12:30-1:30 p.m. From 1:45-2:15 p.m. the discussion will turn to the subject of bullying, wrapping with an hour-long session on strategies for creating a kind community.

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