Statement by ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities on the Nationwide Protests in Iran New York, NY, January 13, 2026 ... The Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Task Force on Middle East Minorities issued the following statement regarding the nationwide protests in Iran: In light of the nationwide protests across Iran, ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities condemns the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown and calls on the international community to make clear to the…
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New York, NY – March 2, 2025 – Today ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) honored Farah Pandith, former diplomat and world-renowned foreign policy strategist, with the prestigious Daniel Pearl Award at the 2025 National Leadership Summit. Pandith, whose work in countering violent extremism has garnered global recognition, was honored for her significant contributions to promoting peace, understanding, and resilience against hatred and intolerance. The ADL Daniel Pearl Award was…
New York, NY, February 22, 2024 – ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today announced the distinguished honorees for the upcoming ADL National Home Furnishings Industry Awards Tribute Dinner, scheduled to take place at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City on June 20, 2024. This annual event pays tribute to individuals whose outstanding leadership, unwavering dedication and profound commitment to their respective industries and communities exemplify the essence of the ADL and the core…
Tips and guidance for helping K-12 schools encourage students to become civically engaged, provide safety and protection for all students, and adhere to students’ First Amendment rights.
Teach students about disability rights activist Judy Heumann and what work in schools and communities still remains.
Teach students about Bellen Woodard, how she became a "crayon activist," and how they can change something they think is unjust.
Olivia Julianna (who uses only her first and middle name publicly to protect her privacy) has been an activist for several years, advocating voting rights and reproductive-health care. Like many in her generation, she found the political side of TikTok where young people post about important issues facing them. Olivia is involved with Gen-Z for Change, a nonprofit organization leveraging social media to promote civil discourse and political action on a variety of topics including…
Under the Trump Administration and continued under the Biden Administration, a public health law called Title 42 has been used against many seeking asylum and other forms of immigration relief at the U.S. border, denying them entry under the pretext of covid-19 prevention. The Biden Administration had announced that it would stop expelling migrants under Title 42 starting May 23, 2022. The plaintiff states in this case are challenging the Title 42 wind-down on Administrative Procedure Act…
New York, NY, November 29, 2021… Members of ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League’s) Task Force on Middle East Minorities issued a letter today calling on United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to broaden the criteria for Priority-2 refugee admissions status to include Afghan nationals from ethnic and religious minority groups that have a well-founded fear of persecution under Taliban rule.
Vulnerable ethnic and religious groups are now in much greater peril since…
A common hand gesture that a 4chan trolling campaign claimed in 2017 had been appropriated as a symbol meaning "white power." Used by many on the right--not just extremists--for the purpose of trolling liberals, the symbol eventually came to be used by actual white supremacists as well. Caution must be used in evaluating instances of this symbol's use.
April is National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month provides an opportunity for many schools and classrooms to dedicate time to the study of reading and writing poetry.
Poetry uses vivid and descriptive language, beautiful imagery, unique sounds and rhythms, and diverse voices. It often evokes an emotional and empathetic response and can open doors to people and worlds for which we are unfamiliar. It can touch hearts and minds and motivate action and societal…
New York, NY, March 17, 2021 ... In response to historic increases in anti-Chinese and anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander incidents and assaults, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the world’s leading anti-hate organization and Committee of 100, a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, issued the following joint statement:
“We are united with all of our Asian American brothers and sisters in standing up against hate, xenophobia and violence…
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…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What are Human Rights?
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
In 1946, in the immediate aftermath of World War II, with hopes of preventing future atrocities, an international committee with varied legal and cultural backgrounds began to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR was proclaimed by the new United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This document contains 30 Articles that set a standard…
New York, NY, December 7, 2020 … ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League) Task Force on Middle East Minorities today welcomed the bipartisan passage of two important House Resolutions that the Task Force had endorsed earlier this year as part of its work supporting the rights of vulnerable groups. The Task Force consists of scholars, experts, and activists who serve as an advisory body to augment ADL’s work in protecting vulnerable…
White supremacists, primarily on the West Coast, may use a two-handed hand sign consisting of one hand showing or flashing two fingers and the other hand showing or flashing three fingers. Together, they signify the number 23, a numeric symbol for W ("White"). This itself is often shorthand for the numeric symbol 23/16, which stands for "White Power." Additional Images:
One of the most popular white supremacist symbols is the numeric symbol 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (substituting letters for numbers, 88 means HH, i.e., "Heil Hitler"). It is thus not surprising that white supremacists occasionally attempt to display 88 as a hand sign. It is not a very common white supremacist hand sign, probably because it involves some dexterity and effort. Additional Images:
The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), a large and violent racist prison gang, uses a hand symbol consisting of a raised index finger and raised ring and little fingers (or the reverse), signifying the numbers 1 and 2. Substituting letters for numbers 1 and 2 stand for A and B, or Aryan Brotherhood. Sometimes ABT members may use a two-handed variation in which one hand "throws up" one digit and the other hand (belonging to the same or a different person) "throws up" two digits, again signifying…
The Aryan Circle is one of the largest white supremacist prison gangs in the United States. Its primary hand sign consists of holding up the thumb and the middle, ring, and little fingers of one hand, signifying the numbers 1 and 3 (which stand for AC). One can also hold up the little finger and the middle and index fingers, plus the thumb.
ALTERNATE NAMES: Bolts Up, Bolts to the SkyThe largest white supremacist prison gang in Tennessee is Aryan Nations (a different group than the neo-Nazi group of the same name). Aryan Nations gang members use a hand sign they sometimes refer to as "bolts up" or "bolts to the sky," consisting of forming the hand into a pistol shape and pointing it upwards or outwards. Additional Images:
ALTERNATE NAMES: Bolts Up, Bolts to the Sky
Read more about Aryan Nations (hand sign - Tennessee prison gang)