Teach students about the U.S. women’s soccer team’s lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation and explore how sexism manifests in a variety of ways in women’s sports.
DoED Decision Will Require Taxpayers to Fund Discrimination
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March 20, 2019 The U.S. Department of Education (DoED) recently announced that it will ignore a longstanding requirement of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) limiting federally funded contracts, which provide schools with services such as special education or instruction, to secular vendors. As a result, religious organizations, including houses of worship, are now eligible to be such contractors. This decision is not legally required, will compel taxpayers to fund…
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events Topic SummaryOn March 8, 2019 (International Women’s Day), the U.S. women’s soccer team filed a gender discrimination suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, which governs soccer in the U.S. The soccer team’s complaint alleges pay inequities and inferior support and working conditions. In their statement released by the team, the twenty-eight players described “institutionalized gender discrimination” that…
February 25, 2019 Mya and Deanna Cook, 15, were both excellent students, but they had been kicked off school sports teams, banished from prom, and sentenced to hours of detention for refusing to change their hair. When these twin sisters were punished by their Boston-area high school for wearing braided hair extensions, ADL helped them change their school’s controversial hair and makeup policies, which unfairly targeted students of color.
ADL’s New England office received a…
Why We Need Legislation to Ensure the Holocaust is Taught in Schools
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February 21, 2019 One would think that teaching the lessons of the Holocaust in schools would be a given in the United States. After all, it is an essential component in learning about world history, the rise of fascism, World War II, and genocide, all of which are already part of any respectable high school history curriculum.
But recent incidents of students appropriating and abusing Holocaust imagery have served as a reminder and a wake-up call for the need to teach the universal…
Anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan Teams Up With Notorious Holocaust Denier at Saviours' Day 2019 Conference
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February 18, 2019 Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam teamed up with a Holocaust denier and anti-Semitic ideologue to attack the Jewish religion and blame numerous ills of modern society on Jews, during the keynote event at the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviours' Day conference in Chicago.
Speaking before a crowd of several thousand at the United Center and an unknown number on a livestream, Farrakhan was preceded by Michael A. Hoffman II, who suggested that ancient…
The Historical Harm of Blackface: How to Talk with Young People
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February 15, 2019 Blackface has taken center stage in our public discourse. Again.
Virginia is embroiled in a controversy based on admissions by Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring to wearing blackface in the past. The list of celebrities and other public figures who publicly condone blackface is growing and there are others entering the spotlight. Just a few months ago, NBC host Megyn Kelly set off her own controversy when she defended blackface as a Halloween costume…
For Educators In fostering inclusive, equitable and safe schools, we encourage educators to develop group guidelines for respect and safety in the classroom. These classroom guidelines can be created in a variety of ways and the list typically includes recommendations such as: Share air timeActively listenShow empathyRespect confidentialityParticipate fullyAssume good willBe sensitive to feelingsHowever, there is often a need to go further and frame guidelines around the concept of bravery…
Increase your awareness of religious obligations and ethnic and cultural festivities that may affect students, colleagues and neighbors in your community.
January 14, 2019 In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, ADL called for the censure of Rep. Steve King and asked that his ranking membership be stripped, due to a history of anti-Semitic and offensive involvements and statements. January 14, 2019
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
204 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
H-107 Capitol Building
Washington,…
December 21, 2018 64% of American households have a member that plays video games for three or more hours per week. And these gamers are not just kids. In 2017, the average age of a gamer was 31, and there were more gamers over 36 than between 18 – 35 or under 18. At ADL’s Center for Technology and Society (CTS) we know that video games can be a meaningful force for good in society. We think games can be incredible tools in helping to challenge bias and create respectful and…
Washington White Supremacist Arrested for Threatening Mass Killings of Jews and other Minorities
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December 17, 2018 FBI agents and Snohomish County deputies arrested a Washington state white supremacist last week for allegedly making threats to carry out mass killings of Jews and other minorities. Dakota Reed, 20, of Monroe, Washington, was charged with malicious harassment—Washington’s hate crime statute—and making bomb threats. Authorities also seized a cache of firearms, ammunition and white supremacist propaganda from Reed’s residence.
The…
The Road to Power: Idaho Outfit Behind Rash of Racist, Anti-Semitic Robocalls
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November 05, 2018 The Road to Power, a white supremacist and anti-Semitic broadcasting outlet based in Sandpoint, Idaho, continues to ramp up its tactic of robocalling communities nationwide with racist, anti-Semitic and bigoted language.
The calls, which have targeted communities in California, Idaho, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania, seek to exploit current events by disseminating vile, offensive commentary. Robocalls are a relatively low-cost and easy means of communicating…
"It's Okay to Be White" Fliers Target Campuses Nationwide
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November 05, 2018 “It’s okay to be white” posters were reported on 14 college and university campuses in 12 states last week. The wave of flier postings coincides with a similar campaign that occurred last year at the same time.
The “It’s okay to be white” trolling campaign first emerged in October 2017 on 4chan, a discussion forum infamous for instigating trolling efforts and for the studied offensiveness of many of its posts…
The Week in Hate and Bias and How to Talk with Young People
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by: Jinnie Spiegler October 29, 2018 Last week, we saw several hate-inspired incidents that have shaken our nation. Many are worried about the toxic nature of our discourse, the direction our country is headed and how we explain all of this to young people.
The week started with a string of thirteen separate pipe bombs sent to a group of mostly prominent Democrats: former Presidents Obama and Clinton, progressive philanthropist George Soros, several members of Congress, former…
The Pyramid of Hate illustrates the prevalence of bias, hate and oppression in our society. It is organized in escalating levels of attitudes and behavior that grow in complexity from bottom to top. Like a pyramid, the upper levels are supported by the lower levels; unlike a pyramid, the levels are not built consecutively or to demonstrate a ranking of each level. Bias at each level reflects a system of oppression that negatively impacts individuals, institutions and society…
Farrakhan’s Anti-Semitism on Full Display at NOI Anniversary Event
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October 17, 2018 The Nation of Islam marked the 23rd anniversary of the Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement on Sunday, October 14th. The event, held at Detroit’s newly named Aretha Franklin Amphitheater, featured a nearly three-hour long speech from Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. His comments touched on topics ranging from Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings to Kanye West’s Oval Office meeting with President Trump, and also…
November is Native American Heritage Month, which was first declared by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The month provides an opportunity to commemorate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories and acknowledge the important contributions of Native American/Indigenous people. It is also an important time to educate the general public, as well as young people in schools, about the bias, discrimination and unique challenges faced by Native American/Indigenous people…
White Supremacists to Hold "Build the Wall" Rally in Greenville, SC
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October 11, 2018 The neo-Confederate South Carolina Conservative Action Council (SCCAC) will hold a “Build the Wall” rally on Saturday, October 13 at the Federal Building in Greenville, South Carolina. They will be joined by members of the Nationalist Liberty Union, a small, relatively new, white supremacist group based in Georgia.
SCCAC is a neo-Confederate organization led by William G. Carter III, who also acts as the editor of the group’s newspaper, The…
Extremism and Intolerance Are on the Ballot in 2018
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September 14, 2018 Right-wing extremists and outspoken bigots are making their presence felt in mainstream American politics, and a record number of them are running for office this year.
Around the country, in blue and red states alike, members of the extremist right – including several with ties to white supremacists– are enjoying more exposure today than at any time in recent history. Less extreme but no less troubling are the number of candidates who have expressed anti…