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From Selma to Ferguson: Standing Together for Justice

Article

March 02, 2015 What do you know about the events in Selma, Alabama in the 1960’s? What part of that history speaks to you? This year marks the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. In the history books, we know this as Bloody Sunday, where 600 peaceful protestors were met with brutality. As events unfolded, the media captured photos and film of what would later become the impetus for thousands to become a part of the movement. Dr. King and his followers…

March 02, 2015

Beyond the Dream, Teaching King in Context

Article

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 16, and many educators will take the opportunity to teach about King and his enormous contributions to our society. As educators, how we approach the teaching of this holiday makes an impact on how students understand the larger context of the Civil Rights Movement and whether they make a connection between the past struggles to the current day and their own lives. Here are some thoughts about teaching the topic in a meaningful way…

January 14, 2015

Beyond Ferguson and Staten Island: Where Do We Go From Here?

Article

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…

December 05, 2014

Civil Rights Act of 1964: 7 Ways to Commemorate the Anniversary

Lesson Plan

Lyndon B. Johnson Signing Civil Rights Act

Teach students about the history of discrimination and racism in the U.S., the struggle for civil rights and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

June 09, 2014

Stereotyped Theme Parties Are Way More than a Joke on College Campuses

Article

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…

February 26, 2014

Incident at University of Mississippi Concerns Racism

Letter

February 21, 2014 Daniel W. Jones, M.D. Chancellor The University of Mississippi Dear Chancellor Jones: We are writing to express our deep concern about the recent incident at the University of Mississippi in which two unidentified men placed a noose around the neck of the statue of James Meredith, the school’s first black student. There have reportedly been other recent incidences of troubling acts of homophobia and racism. College is a unique and special time in a young person…

February 21, 2014

Challenging Anti-Immigrant Bias with Education

Article

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…

February 07, 2014

Richard Sherman and Enduring Racial Stereotypes

Article

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…

January 24, 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Article

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…

January 13, 2014

Educator's Lesson Plan: Nelson Mandela

Article

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…

December 06, 2013

The Trouble With Make Me a “Stereotype”

Article

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…

January 11, 2013

From "Little Rock Nine" to Today

Backgrounder

Robert F. Wagner Meets with Little Rock Students

Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Carlotta Walls, Mayor Wagner, Thelma Mothershed, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Ernest Green, Melba Pattilo, Jefferson Thomas. On September 23, 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, these nine African-American students quietly slipped into Central High School through the side door with the assistance of the city’s police, while an angry white mob numbering 1,000 swarmed the front of the school to await their arrival. Upon learning of their entry, the…

February 01, 2017

Brown v. Board of Education

Backgrounder

More than sixty-five years after Brown v. Board of Education, the promise of equal access to quality education remains unfulfilled. School expulsions and suspensions are among the best predictors of who will drop out of high school and African American students are three more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers. In January 2014, the Department of Education and Department of Justice issued watershed guidance on school discipline with the intent to …

January 31, 2017

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Backgrounder

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. The Act prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities and made employment discrimination illegal based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. As we commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, we have an opportunity to teach and learn…

January 31, 2017

50 Years Later: Remembering Selma

Backgrounder

From Bloody Sunday to the Voting Rights Act: How One Day Changed the Course of Civil Rights History March 7, 1965 — a day that would become known as Bloody Sunday — forever changed the course of American history. That day the nation’s attention turned to Selma, Alabama, where state troopers and a sheriff’s posse brutally attacked 575 demonstrators attempting to march peacefully to Montgomery. The marchers had gathered for two purposes: to advocate for voting…

February 24, 2015