ADL Articles

by: Oren Segal December 05, 2014 In the wake of two grand jury decisions—in Ferguson, MO and Staten Island, NY—not to indict the police officers who were involved in the killing of black men, the time has come to ask ourselves: Where do we go from here? There are a myriad of ideas and legislation on the table--diversity training for the police, funding to provide body cameras for police officers and legislation to tighten standards on military-style equipment for local police…

by: Oren Segal September 04, 2014 I can’t tell Asians apart. You’re different for a Black guy. You don’t look Jewish.  Microaggressions. They are everyday slights, indignities, put-downs and insults that people of color, women, LBGT populations and other marginalized people experience in their day-to-day interactions.  Their impact is often unintended, subtle or seen as innocuous, which makes it easy to dismiss them or tell people who object that they are being…

by: Oren Segal February 26, 2014   It happened again. College students dressed up like members of a “culture” for a stereotyped theme party. In the most recent example, sorority students at Columbia University were photographed wearing sombreros, thick mustaches, ponchos and holding maracas. They also portrayed other nationalities. What’s worse is that these types of parties are not anomalies, but common occurrences on college campuses. African-themed…

by: Mark Onofrio February 07, 2014 Criticism of immigrant policy is not an excuse to undermine the humanity of others with the kind of vitriol that dominated the internet, especially Twitter, after the Atlanta-based Coca Cola Company aired a commercial with “America the Beautiful,” sung in different languages and featuring a diversity of people during the Super Bowl. The term immigrant is a descriptor, not a slur. However, it is often used in a pejorative way. For those who are…

by: Mark Onofrio January 24, 2014 We recently had a reminder of the endur­ing power of stereo­types in Amer­i­can when an inter­view by Seat­tle Sea­hawks cor­ner­back Richard Sher­man prompted a slew of racist remarks on Twit­ter and a main­stream media com­men­ta­tor referred to him as a “thug” and an “ape.” While per­haps unin­ten­tional on the part of media com­men­ta­tors, the…

by: Mark Onofrio January 13, 2014 Five Tips for Working with Children, Tweens and Teens  As we honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through the National Day of Service, we encourage teachers, parents and families to provide community service opportunities for children and youth.  Below are tips to help make the experience meaningful.   “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to…

by: Mark Onofrio December 06, 2013   Many educators want to incorporate the passing of significant figures into their classroom discussion. ADL’s Education Division provides resources to educators about contemporary issues and current event topics to help make classroom learning more dynamic forums for critical thinking. In celebration and memory of the life of Nelson Mandela, this special edition of The Current Events Classroom provides students the opportunity to learn…

by: Mark Onofrio January 11, 2013 Applications for smartphones and tablets have become an emerging segment of the online and entertainment industry.  As with videos, blogs and social networking platforms which came before, Apps are now being created that some consider funny, but which  actually cross the line from humorous to offensive.  Recent examples include two free apps on Google called “Make Me Asian” and “Make Me Indian,” that allow users to edit…