The NPFH program was started in 1999 by the ADL (Anti Defamation League) in Boston in connection with the Massachusetts Municipal Association. The campaign has been embraced and endorsed by the Massachusetts Police Association, the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes, and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. It is supported by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Corporation, Shaw's Supermarkets, and the program underwriter, the Maxwell V. Blum family.

There are currently about fifty communities involved across the state who have either been certified or are in the process of becoming certified. In order to become certified each community must fulfill certain requirements:

• Town administrator(s) or executive officer(s) must sign an official proclamation which asserts that they will support the No Place for Hate campaign by organizing or endorsing activities which promote anti-bias. The must also proclaim zero tolerance for prejudice and bigotry in the community.
• Local committee members must sponsor at least three activities during a 12 month period (prior to April 15th) that promote respect and understanding of diversity. The committee works to include all members of the community in their activities.
• Once the three activities are completed, the ADL certifies (or re-certifies) the city or town as a No Place for Hate Community. The community is given a sign to post at a major entrance into the community. Each year, three new activities must be completed in order to be re-certified.

In eight short months we have fulfilled the requirements to become certified as a No Place for Hate community. In early November, Peg Davis, the Chairperson of the No Place for Hate Committee spoke at the Candlelight Vigil to commemorate September 11th. In November, we joined the clergy to support their Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. We participated in the service and then provided an international Buffet following the service. In March, we sent 30 Marshfield High School students to the ADL World of Difference training program, where they learned to teach workshops to their peers and to younger children. Toward the end of the month of March, we held a huge School Diversity Week. We provided three speakers at the Marshfield High School: Jose Ballester, a social activist, Janet Applefield, a survivor of the Holocaust, and Harry Katz, leader of the No Place for Hate Committee in Duxbury. We had our 30 trained high school students provide workshops for the fifth grade students in our five elementary schools. In mid April, we held an assembly at the Furnace Brook Middle School for the sixth grade students, where we had representatives from the Governor's Task Force Against Hate Crimes, the ADL, and our local police department, to conduct a panel discussion on hate crimes and how to prevent them.

The No Place for Hate Committee is a completely non-profit grass roots group that was formed in August 2001. We have accomplished a great deal with minimal funding, thanks to a grant from the Henry Mauer Foundation of the North Community Church and a charitable donation from the Marshfield United Methodist Church. We are in desperate need of funding for the coming year, and would like to appeal to businesses in our community, as well as private benefactors. We are also trying to put together a benefit for next October. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated. Checks can be made out to "No Place for Hate" and sent to:

NPFH
PMB 337
3 Webster Square
Marshfield, MA 02050

Our small committee has become a viable and well respected group in the community. As a result, we have been presented with a number of opportunities to conduct events and promote our message for the coming year. We are in need of additional volunteers in order to take advantage of these opportunities and to complete our three activities for the coming year. You can email the committee at igep@adelphia.net if you would like to become involved or be on our email list.