Multicultural,
National, &
Religious
Observances in
October 2014
No Place for Hate News
Don't Forget to Register for
ADL's Youth Leadership Conference!
September 15-October 15
NATIONAL HISPANIC
HERITAGE MONTH
Celebrates the contributions,
heritage and culture of Hispanic
and Latino Americans.
Full Month
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
Marks and celebrates the lives
and achievements of lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender
people in the United States.
Full Month
NATIONAL DISABILITY
EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS
MONTH
Recognizes the contributions of
workers with disabilities.
Register now for the best event of the year! ADL's
annual Youth
Leadership
Conference, Exploring
Diversity, Challenging Hate, will be held on November 17,
2014 from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM at the University of
Pennsylvania. The conference is free-of-charge, and offers
an unparalleled opportunity for 8 students and 2 teachers
from your high school to learn about issues of diversity and
discrimination. Students and staff use the resources they
acquire at the conference to challenge bias and bullying in
their schools. See this introductory letter and flyer for
more information, and submit your registration forms to
[email protected] by October 29! Don't let your students
miss out on this amazing opportunity!
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Saturday, October 4
YOM KIPPUR * Jewish
The "Day of Atonement" marks
the end of the Ten Days of
Penitence that begin with Rosh
Hashanah. ADL offices closed.
Saturday, October 4
DASSERA * Hindu
Anniversary of the day when
Rama killed the evil demon
Ravana. Also known as Durga
Puja, which celebrates the
goddess Durga.
Sunday, October 5
EID AL-ADHA * Islamic
The "Feast of Sacrifice"
concludes the Hajj (pilgrimage
to Mecca), and is a three-day
festival recalling Ibrahim's
willingness to sacrifice his son in
obedience to God.
Thursday-Wednesday,
October 9-15
SUKKOT * Jewish
The week-long "Feast of
Booths" commemorates the 40year wandering of the Israelites
in the desert on the way to the
Promised Land. ADL offices are
closed October 9 and 10.
Tuesday, October 11
COMING OUT DAY
Encourages honesty and
openness about being lesbian,
gay, bisexual or transgender.
Commemorates October 11,
1987, when 500,000 people
marched on Washington, DC,
for gay and lesbian equality.
Monday, October 13
COLUMBUS DAY
Marks Christopher Columbus's
landing at San Salvador on
October 12, 1492. Known as
Día de la Raza, "Day of the
Race", in Spanish-speaking
countries and communities, and
Native American Day in South
Dakota and various American
cities.
Celebrate National Bullying Prevention Month!
We know that many students are targeted on the basis of
their race, religion, social class, sexual orientation or other
aspect of their identity. Bias-motivated name-calling and
bullying have the potential to escalate into more serious
incidents of violence if they are left unchecked.
Check out ADL's resources for
National Bullying Prevention Month!
National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to
reflect on our classroom and school cultures, and ensure
that we are engaging in best practices when it comes to
creating respectful and inclusive school environments. The
large body of research on effective responses to namecalling and bullying shows that schools and other
educational institutions can best address these behaviors
through ongoing, comprehensive plans that include both
intervention and prevention strategies and engage all
people in the school environment: students, educators,
school staff, families and other community members.
A basic premise of ADL's educational programming is that
the cycle of name-calling and bullying behaviors is best
interrupted by motivated allies. This National Bullying
Prevention Month, empower your students to act as allies
and contribute to creating a positive "ally culture" at school.
Educators, students and parents can use
ADL's resources to challenge bullying.
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Tuesday, October 14
NATIVE AMERICAN DAY
Celebrates Native American
history and culture.
Thursday, October 16
SHEMINI ATZERET * Jewish
"The Eighth (Day) of Assembly"
is observed on the day
immediately following Sukkot.
ADL offices are closed.
Friday, October 17
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR
THE ERADICATION OF
POVERTY
Call to action for the eradication
of poverty worldwide.
Friday, October 17
SIMCHAT TORAH * Jewish
"Rejoicing in the Torah"
celebrates the conclusion of the
public reading of the Pentateuch
and its beginning anew. ADL
offices are closed.
Monday-Friday,
October 20-24
NO PLACE FOR HATE WEEK
Schools and organizations in
Pennsylvania celebrate their
commitment to understanding
diversity, promoting respect for
differences and challenging bias
and bullying through the AntiDefamation League's No Place
for Hate initiative.
Monday, October 20
BIRTH OF THE BÁB * Baha'i
Baha'i observance of the
anniversary of the birth in 1819
of Siyyid, "the Bab," the prophetherald of the Baha'i Faith, in
Shiraz, Persia.
Thursday, October 23
DIWALI * Hindu
Also called Deepavali, "Festival
of Lights", it celebrates the
victory of good over evil, light
over darkness, and knowledge
over ignorance.
To help you in this effort, ADL has compiled our best
resources on bullying, including statistics, handouts, lesson
plans, webinars, blogs and books. See the full list here.
Perfect Your Project
What Does Columbus Day REALLY Celebrate?
Columbus Day inspires more controversy than possibly any
other national holiday in the United States. Many Americans
celebrate Columbus for sparking European settlement of
the Americas, which led to the eventual creation of the
United States. Diverse groups lay claim to Columbus Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Polish and even some
Jewish groups believe that Columbus came from their
ranks, and find great pride in his accomplishments.
However, many others find
Columbus
Day
deeply
problematic, claiming that the
holiday
commemorates
a
person and historical event that
caused great damage to Native
Americans.
Critics
see
Columbus Day as a symbol of
the anti-Native American racism
still manifested in American
culture today. As an educator, it
is important to help your
students
recognize
the
challenges posed by Columbus
Day, so they develop a deeper understanding of
Christopher Columbus as an individual and as a symbol to
diverse peoples.
For generations, school children have celebrated the
achievements of Christopher Columbus, attributing to him
such feats as figuring out the world was round, discovering
America and bringing Western civilization to the New World.
However, under closer scrutiny, Columbus's achievements
are more uncertain. Explorers had known the world was
round since ancient Greek times. Human beings had lived
in the Americas for thousands of years before Columbus
"discovered" them. The Western civilization brought by
Columbus pushed out varied, rich and ancient native
cultures, with diverse political and economic systems,
religions and arts already in existence.
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Friday, October 24
UNITED NATIONS DAY
Commemorates the founding of
the world organization in 1945.
Saturday, October 25
MUHARRAM * Islamic
The month of Muharram marks
the beginning of the Islamic
liturgical year. The first day of
the month, al-Hijra, remembers
the migration of Muhammad and
his followers from Mecca to
Medina in 622 CE. It also marks
the beginning of the ten-day
Shiite Remembrance of
Muharram, a period of intense
grief and mourning of the
martyrdom of Hussein, the son
of Ali and grandson of
Muhammad.
Friday, October 31
REFORMATION DAY *
Christian
Commemorates the start of the
Protestant Reformation in 1517.
Friday, October 31
HALLOWEEN
The eve of All Saints' Day.
For more information, visit
ADL's Calendar of Observances
Upcoming
Resources and
Events
Brand New
Current Events Classroom
Lessons!
Furthermore, students rarely learn that Columbus's
intentions and actions were sometimes morally
questionable. In the quest to bring back wealth for his royal
Spanish investors, Columbus's forces killed and enslaved
many of the native peoples he encountered. According to
the priest Bartolome de las Casas, who in 1508 lived in the
Hispaniola colony under Columbus's governorship, "there
were 60,000 people living on this island, including the
Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people
had perished from war, slavery, and the mines." Columbus's
harsh treatment of Native Americans set a poor precedent
for future European explorers, colonists, and the American
government to follow.
Critics believe that Columbus Day is more than a
celebration of the explorer himself; it also represents a
yearly endorsement of past and present mistreatment of
Native Americans. After Columbus, European and American
settlers continued persecuting Native Americans across the
continent. By some estimates, 75-90% of Native Americans
died, and many of the survivors were forced to live in deeply
oppressive and impoverished conditions. Our country has
yet to grapple with the legacy of our treatment of Native
Americans. Poverty and social disease are still too common
on Native American reservations. Major professional sports
teams use names and logos that defame Native Americans.
Textbooks gloss over the experience of Native American
groups in favor of mythologizing American heroes. In this
context, it is understandable that some people find honoring
Christopher Columbus with a national holiday deeply
troubling.
Current Events Classroom is a
collection of timely and relevant
lesson plans that assist K-12
educators in teaching news
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topics and other issues of the
day.
Each
lesson
helps
students analyze the topic
through an anti-bias, diversity
and social justice lens. Click the
lessons below to download free
full lesson plans.
SCHOOL DRESS CODES:
WHAT'S FAIR?
This middle school lesson
provides an opportunity for
students to reflect on their own
opinions regarding school dress
codes, identify school and
student needs/perspectives and
design their own dress codes
that satisfy both student and
school needs.
This year, consider teaching a more nuanced picture of
Columbus Day. Follow the lead of South Dakota in
declaring October 13 Native Americans Day, and reframe
lessons, activities and celebrations to teach about the rich
history and cultures of Native American groups. Have every
class highlight a different Native American culture's
language, architecture, food , legends, etc., and then let
students visit other classes to learn about diverse Native
American groups. Compare and contrast Columbus's
treatment of Native Americans to other encounters between
Europeans, Americans and Native Americans (using
lessons like Lewis and Clark: The Unheard Voices) Split
your class in half and provide each group with either an
anti-Columbus Day article or a pro-Columbus Day article,
and let them debate their article's point of view.
By exploring Columbus Day in a wider context, you will help
students develop a more balanced understanding of
Christopher Columbus and his impact on American history.
The Latest from Anti-Bullying Expert
Rosalind Wiseman
WHO ARE THE CHILDREN
ON OUR BORDER?
In the lesson, students in
grades 7-12 will learn more
about
the
unaccompanied
children on our border, read
and reflect on two stories of
children who recently came to
the U.S. on their own and will
consider their opinion about the
situation and what to do about it
by writing a persuasive letter.
NATIONAL HISPANIC
HERITAGE MONTH
National Hispanic Heritage
Month (September 15-October
15), which began in 1968, is a
Rosalind Wiseman, best-selling author and bullying
prevention specialist, works with ADL to publish Rosalind's
Classroom Conversations, which includes teaching
strategies and thoughtful advice.
Rosalind's Classroom Conversations for September, The
Unspoken Messages of Dress Codes: Uncovering Bias
and Power, addresses how a school's well-intentioned
dress code can mask double standards, insensitivity and
bias. Rosalind provides practical advice for how to deal
with the sometimes conflicting needs of students and the
school.
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time for people to celebrate the
achievements,
contributions,
culture and history of Hispanic
and Latino-Americans. If you or
your colleagues are looking for
ideas for National Hispanic
Heritage Month, we have
compiled all of our relevant
curricula and other resources in
one place.
OCTOBER'S BOOK OF THE
MONTH IS...
In a recent podcast, Rosalind talks about her partnership
with ADL, teaching and raising teenagers in a complex
world, the role and pros and cons of social media and
gaming, what teachers can do to engage students, how her
own parenting informs her work and much more. We think
you'll find the content interesting and in line with our
approach and programming. We hope you'll listen to it and
share it with others.
School Showcase
Read the Rainbow: Conewago Elementary School
Students Explore Diversity Through Literature
...Trudy Ludwig's Confessions
of a Former Bully. The book, for
ages 8-12, is about a girl
named Katie who gets caught
bullying a schoolmate and is
told to meet with the school
counselor so she can right her
wrong and learn to be a better
friend. Told from the unusual
point of view of the child
engaging in the bullying rather
than the target, the book
provides children with real life
tools
they
can
use
to
understand, identify and do
something about bullying. As
always, Book of the Month
includes vocabulary, discussion
questions and activities.
Celebrate
No Place for Hate Week!
Stories can magically transport us
to faraway lands and spark our
imaginations to new heights.
Through "Reading Around the
World," Conewago Elementary
School in Northeastern School
District harnessed the power of
literature
to
explore
real
international cultures as a way to
promote appreciation for diversity.
Each grade read a book exploring a different part of the
world, and then participated in an activity from that culture.
The third grade students read Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein,
which taught the traditional Japanese concept of finding
beauty in imperfection, and then wrote haikus to gain an
appreciation for Japanese poetry. Second graders read
Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco, which introduced
students to Ukrainian culture, and then designed Ukrainian
pysanky painted eggs. Students in first grade read Galimoto
by Karen Lynn Williams to explore Malawi, and afterwards
created galimotos - Malawian toy cars made of wire.
Kindergarten read Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Julie
Vivas, to learn about Australia, and baked and ate
Australian anzac biscuits.
The Pennsylvania House of
Representatives and Senate
will officially designate October
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20-24 as No Place for Hate
Week! This week, schools
should celebrate their efforts to
embrace
diversity
and
challenge bullying and bias
through ADL's No Place for
Hate program. Make No Place
for Hate Week a time when
every child and adult in your
school takes steps to build a
more inclusive and respectful
community! Click here for
ideas for celebrating No
Place for Hate Week 2014!
Halloween
Reminder
Make sure you
are prepared to
host
enjoyable
and
respectful
holiday activities.
Check
out
October 2012's
No Place for Hate Newsletter
for tips and tricks (and treats!)
for celebrating a culturally
sensitive Halloween!
The whole school came together after the reading to share
their stories and projects with the other grades, so that
every student was exposed to all four featured cultures. The
students viewed a map with pins highlighting the countries
that inspired their books, and were awed that their books
took them around the world. Students enjoyed reading and
hearing about other cultures, and the activities helped them
engage with diverse groups in a positive way. Consider
implementing "Reading Around the World" in your school,
using books available in your school library.
Congratulations to our Fall
No Place for Hate Designees!
PA School for the Deaf
Kennett Middle School
St. Joseph's Preparatory School
Thank you to our sponsors:
6abc
Boeing
Elias Family Charitable Trust
Nancy Garber Memorial Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation, Inc.
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Lisa Friedlander | No Place for Hate Project Director
Jeremy Bannett | No Place for Hate Assistant Project Director
1500 Market Street | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| 19102 |215-568-2223
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