The Anti-Defamation League at AB
BY NEHA SARAVANAN '22
This year, the ADL Peer Leading, or ‘A World of Difference’ program became integrated into the Acton-Boxborough community. Tenth and eleventh graders first learned about the initiative in an extended advisory presentation in the fall, and then, as newly trained peer leaders, introduced it to ninth graders in January. Though we’ve heard teachers talk about it and perhaps have some friends involved in it, we may still feel unsure about the program’s true purpose. Why do we have it at our high school? What is the goal of the program? Today I will answer your questions and show the progress of this intriguing and evolving addition to the AB community.
What is the Anti-Defamation League? According to its website, ADL is an international, non-governmental organization that fights “threats to our very democracy, including cyberhate, bullying, bias in schools and in the criminal justice system, terrorism, hate crimes, coercion of religious minorities, and contempt for anyone who is different.” Founded in 1913, it was originally established to fight anti-Semitism in New York City. However, it has evolved to fight all forms of hate that various minorities face today.
Harmful biases are embedded deeply in the media and our community; it's important to not only be aware of this bias but to learn how to change these negative opinions. Common stereotypes paint people of color as criminals, illegals, invaders etc.— all which is detrimental to society. From the discrimination that Asians face in the unfolding of the pandemic to the police brutality experienced in the protests following George Floyd’s death — these recent examples can be easily traced to the larger problem that ADL aims to address.
We’ve seen bias at play in an even more direct sense at the AB community: swastikas in the snow, racist remarks written on bathroom walls, expectancy of certain classes to be taken by certain racial groups, discrimination on the basis of education, and implicit, everyday bias. Further, ABRHS staff consists of mostly white teachers and administrators— there are around 6 teachers of color compared to almost 190 white. For a student body that maintains such diversity, AB employment reflects quite the opposite and lacks representation. This discrepancy can create a lack of understanding between teachers and student experience, especially when ethnicity is involved. Thus, some high schoolers feel the need to incorporate more class discussion about bias and current events for all grade levels, especially during the current social climate. Students should be informed and educated on the world they live in.
AB plans to use the ADL program to better resolve and raise discussion around these longstanding injustices. To combat prejudice, ADL uses anti-bias education, an established form of confronting marginalization in schools all over America. Once a school reaches out to ADL and shows interest in becoming involved with the organization, ADL advisors begin to train teachers. The school eventually introduces the program to students who, through an application and interview process, can apply for a peer leader position. Selected students later meet with school advisors over a three-day program to train and learn how to confront bias. Throughout the remainder of the year, the peer leaders follow an ADL curriculum designed to educate ninth graders. Signalling the beginning of maturity and our high school career, freshman year is a pivotal time to address inherent biases. AB, however, has allowed communication with the entire school, so reaching out to different grades remains a possibility.
Through the peer leading program, what is ADL trying to teach us? The main goal is to increase student awareness and understanding of implicit biases, further opening up a platform for discussion. Susan Nugent and Megan McGrath, the ADL advisors at AB, state, “A World of Difference teaches students ways in which they can be allies for their peers who are targeted. Further, the program helps AB to continue to promote a safe and supportive school community where people of diverse backgrounds can come together to contribute to our core values and fulfill their responsibilities as caring members of our society.” Anti-bias education works as a catalyst to fulfill these goals. The curriculum discusses prejudice, stereotypes, the Pyramid of Hate, microaggressions, and more. However, changing these underlying biases is difficult as once enough time passes, these opinions appear more as fact. Normalized prejudice manifests in actions that hurt different minorities involving race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more.
Now that we’ve brought some clarity to the Peer Leading program, what now? Next year, the program will take on a larger role by becoming a class instead of an advisory group—but how will we know if it's successful, or if it’s changing AB at all? Mrs. Nugent and Ms. McGrath state that next year “peer leaders will develop and implement events, projects, and campaigns to make AB more respectful and inclusive. [The] goal is for students to develop and disseminate skills and knowledge that increase awareness of issues related to prejudice, harassment, and bullying.”
In the following issues of the Spectrum, I will be keeping track of the ADL’s progress by explaining some of the curriculum and interviewing both peer leaders and 9th grade students about its efficacy and success rate. It’s the education system's duty to make sure we are aware of the world around us and as of now, our curriculum does not cover this. This is where the peer leaders must step in. Mrs Nugent and Ms. McGrath explain, “We want all students to be part of an AB community that respects individual differences and helps promote this idea of belonging.” This can only be done through education, and that’s what this program is here for. However, will opinions even change? Will bringing awareness do more benefit than harm? What does the founder of the ADL have to say about the program and its potential success? All this, and more, coming to you in the next issue.
What is the Anti-Defamation League? According to its website, ADL is an international, non-governmental organization that fights “threats to our very democracy, including cyberhate, bullying, bias in schools and in the criminal justice system, terrorism, hate crimes, coercion of religious minorities, and contempt for anyone who is different.” Founded in 1913, it was originally established to fight anti-Semitism in New York City. However, it has evolved to fight all forms of hate that various minorities face today.
Harmful biases are embedded deeply in the media and our community; it's important to not only be aware of this bias but to learn how to change these negative opinions. Common stereotypes paint people of color as criminals, illegals, invaders etc.— all which is detrimental to society. From the discrimination that Asians face in the unfolding of the pandemic to the police brutality experienced in the protests following George Floyd’s death — these recent examples can be easily traced to the larger problem that ADL aims to address.
We’ve seen bias at play in an even more direct sense at the AB community: swastikas in the snow, racist remarks written on bathroom walls, expectancy of certain classes to be taken by certain racial groups, discrimination on the basis of education, and implicit, everyday bias. Further, ABRHS staff consists of mostly white teachers and administrators— there are around 6 teachers of color compared to almost 190 white. For a student body that maintains such diversity, AB employment reflects quite the opposite and lacks representation. This discrepancy can create a lack of understanding between teachers and student experience, especially when ethnicity is involved. Thus, some high schoolers feel the need to incorporate more class discussion about bias and current events for all grade levels, especially during the current social climate. Students should be informed and educated on the world they live in.
AB plans to use the ADL program to better resolve and raise discussion around these longstanding injustices. To combat prejudice, ADL uses anti-bias education, an established form of confronting marginalization in schools all over America. Once a school reaches out to ADL and shows interest in becoming involved with the organization, ADL advisors begin to train teachers. The school eventually introduces the program to students who, through an application and interview process, can apply for a peer leader position. Selected students later meet with school advisors over a three-day program to train and learn how to confront bias. Throughout the remainder of the year, the peer leaders follow an ADL curriculum designed to educate ninth graders. Signalling the beginning of maturity and our high school career, freshman year is a pivotal time to address inherent biases. AB, however, has allowed communication with the entire school, so reaching out to different grades remains a possibility.
Through the peer leading program, what is ADL trying to teach us? The main goal is to increase student awareness and understanding of implicit biases, further opening up a platform for discussion. Susan Nugent and Megan McGrath, the ADL advisors at AB, state, “A World of Difference teaches students ways in which they can be allies for their peers who are targeted. Further, the program helps AB to continue to promote a safe and supportive school community where people of diverse backgrounds can come together to contribute to our core values and fulfill their responsibilities as caring members of our society.” Anti-bias education works as a catalyst to fulfill these goals. The curriculum discusses prejudice, stereotypes, the Pyramid of Hate, microaggressions, and more. However, changing these underlying biases is difficult as once enough time passes, these opinions appear more as fact. Normalized prejudice manifests in actions that hurt different minorities involving race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more.
Now that we’ve brought some clarity to the Peer Leading program, what now? Next year, the program will take on a larger role by becoming a class instead of an advisory group—but how will we know if it's successful, or if it’s changing AB at all? Mrs. Nugent and Ms. McGrath state that next year “peer leaders will develop and implement events, projects, and campaigns to make AB more respectful and inclusive. [The] goal is for students to develop and disseminate skills and knowledge that increase awareness of issues related to prejudice, harassment, and bullying.”
In the following issues of the Spectrum, I will be keeping track of the ADL’s progress by explaining some of the curriculum and interviewing both peer leaders and 9th grade students about its efficacy and success rate. It’s the education system's duty to make sure we are aware of the world around us and as of now, our curriculum does not cover this. This is where the peer leaders must step in. Mrs Nugent and Ms. McGrath explain, “We want all students to be part of an AB community that respects individual differences and helps promote this idea of belonging.” This can only be done through education, and that’s what this program is here for. However, will opinions even change? Will bringing awareness do more benefit than harm? What does the founder of the ADL have to say about the program and its potential success? All this, and more, coming to you in the next issue.
