This discussion guide about the musical Parade will help middle and high school students and adults reflect upon and discuss the themes and artistic elements of Parade.
ADL Urges Supreme Court to Revisit Flawed Ruling on Religious Accommodations in the Workplace
Press Release
New York, NY, February 28, 2023… ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today joined an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case Groff v. DeJoy, supporting people of faith seeking religious accommodations in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Title VII requires employers to allow religious accommodations for employees unless doing so would constitute an “undue hardship” for the business. However, in Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, the Supreme…
ADL Condemns Supreme Court Decision Undermining Separation of Church and State
Press Release
New York, NY, June 27, 2022 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) is deeply disturbed by today's Supreme Court decision undermining the separation of church and state enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
“This is a significant change in how we approach prayer in public schools, and one that will have a negative impact in particular on students of marginalized faiths and non-religious students,” said Rachel Robbins, Chair of ADL’s Civil Rights…
ADL: Supreme Court Ruling in Fulton v. Philadelphia Underscores Importance of Anti-Discrimination Law
Press Release
New York, NY, June 17, 2021 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) expressed disappointment in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of Catholic Social Services, which rejected the city of Philadelphia’s argument that it should not have to renew a foster care certification contract with an agency that refuses to serve same-sex couples.
However, the decision was narrow, and it is important to note that the Court focused on the details of the city’s contract…
Former officer charged in Daunte Wright killing; ADL calls on Fox to fire Carlson; AR governor signs scaled-back hate crimes bill
Article
April 16, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3
The former police officer who was recorded on camera fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday. ADL called on Fox News to remove primetime opinion host Tucker Carlson after he openly embraced a white supremacist conspiracy theory in front of millions of viewers. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a watered-down hate crimes bill into law this week, one that ADL and other…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…
Amid unprecedented security concerns, President Biden and Vice President Harris take office; Biden ends Trump’s travel ban; Members of extremist Oath Keepers group planned attack on US Capitol, prosecutors say
Article
January 22, 2021 THE WEEK’S BIG 3
Amid unprecedented security concerns, due in large part to the Capitol Hill riot two weeks earlier, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris became the first woman and first woman of color to hold the office of Vice President. President Biden issued an executive order ending Trump’s travel ban on noncitizens from 13 countries. Prosecutors filed the first significant conspiracy charge in the U.S. Capitol…
Civil rights probe launched into shooting of Jacob Blake; Antisemitic sign hung on LA overpass; NAACP takes action after Philly president’s antisemitic Facebook post
Article
August 28, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3
Federal investigators announced that they have launched a civil rights probe into the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A sign with the phrase “The Jews Want A Race War” was hung from the heavily trafficked Los Angeles interstate 405 highway overpass on Saturday. The NAACP will replace all leadership of its Philadelphia chapter — including its president, Minister Rodney Muhammad —…
ADL Calls on USA Table Tennis to Accommodate Orthodox Jewish Player at Upcoming Olympic Trials
Press Release
New York, NY, February 14, 2020 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today called on USA Table Tennis (USATT) to accommodate the Jewish religious observance of an Orthodox teenager at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Team trials scheduled in Santa Monica, CA for later this month.
According to reports, Estee Ackerman, an Orthodox-Jewish teenager, likely will not be able to compete at the Olympic trials because one day of the four-day tournament falls on Saturday, the Jewish…
Proposed Federal Rules Threaten the Religious Freedom of America's Needy
Article
February 13, 2020 Last month, the Trump Administration proposed sweeping changes to federal rules governing taxpayer-funded social services, changes that threaten the religious freedom of the most vulnerable in our nation.
Over 20 years ago, the federal government made a sea change in how it provided taxpayer-funded social services by allowing houses of worship to compete for grants and contracts through a program called the “Faith-Based Initiative.”
This change…
ADL Task Force Endorses Congressional Legislation in Support of Middle East Minorities
Press Release
New York, NY, February 4, 2020 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) Task Force on Middle East Minorities today endorsed three bipartisan pieces of federal legislation designed to increase U.S. support to vulnerable minority groups: the Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals including Minorities Act, the Resolution Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the Resolution Calling for the Global Repeal of Blasphemy, Heresy, and Apostasy Laws.
First, the Task Force endorsed H.R. 2537…
On-Screen Diversity: Why Visibility in Media Matters
Lesson Plan
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Does Entertainment Represent Our Increasingly Diverse Society?
In September 2019, Kodi Lee won America's Got Talent, which was a groundbreaking and emotional victory. Lee is a person who is Asian-American, blind and has autism. While he is one example of on-screen diversity, there is still more work to be done to ensure that the stories told reflect all people…
ADL Letter to House Subcommittees Regarding the Trump Administration's Muslim Travel Ban
Letter
September 24, 2019 In a letter to the House Judiciary Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee and the Foreign Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, ADL provided views on the discriminatory Muslim ban and expressed support for the NO BAN Act. September 24, 2019
The Honorable Zoe Lofgren
Chairman
Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Ken Buck
Ranking Member
Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
…
ADL Mourns the Passing of Justice John Paul Stevens
Press Release
New York, NY, July 17, 2019 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) mourns the passing of Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the third-longest serving justice in the history of the court and a staunch defender of civil rights and religious liberty for all Americans.
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, issued the following statement:
“We mourn the passing of John Paul Stevens, a Justice who served with distinction for 35 years. Justice…
ADL Deeply Disappointed in Supreme Court Ruling Allowing Maryland Cross to Stand on Public Ground
Press Release
New York, NY, June 20, 2019 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today expressed deep disappointment at the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing a 40-foot Latin cross to continue to stand on a traffic island at a major intersection in Bladensburg, Maryland.
ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt issued the following statement:
We are alarmed that the Supreme Court has allowed a 40-foot memorial cross to remain on government property in Maryland. As Justice Ginsburg…
Game Changer: Kyle Korver Speaks Truth on Privilege
Lesson Plan
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Reflections of Biased Incidents in Basketball and White Privilege
In April 2019, Kyle Korver, a U.S. professional basketball player who plays with the Utah Jazz, wrote an essay on racism and white privilege that received a lot of acclaim and attention. In the essay, Korver, who is white, reflects on several biased incidents involving his African-American teammates and his…
ADL to Supreme Court: WWI Veterans Memorial Dominated by 40-Foot Cross is Exclusionary and Unconstitutional
Press Release
New York, NY, January 31, 2019 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) joined a broad coalition of religious and civil rights organizations in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to find that a 40-foot memorial cross dominating a veterans’ memorial on Maryland government property violates constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.
In an amicus brief co-filed with Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) in American Legion v. American Humanist…