1952 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06517 | 203-780-0202 | connecticut.adl.org
Our Mission: ADL is an anti-hate organization founded in 1913 to respond to antisemitism and bigotry. Today, ADL fights all forms of hate and is a global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online. ADL’s goal is a world where no one suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
ADL is a global anti-hate organization. And we have only begun to fight. Against all forms of hate. On the street. On the Internet. In the classroom. On campus. In the workplace. From City Hall to the halls of Congress to the halls of power in world capitals. We are the foremost expert in the study of extremism. We are a worldwide leader in anti-bias education. When people are threatened here at home or around the world, we will stand up for what’s right. We will expose bigotry for what it is, whether it’s cloaked in political rhetoric, academic theories or calls for boycotts. We are principled, not political. We choose action, not sides. We are guided by the words of Hillel, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?” Since 1913, we have defended American values like dignity. Equality. Justice. And Fair Treatment for us all.
This past August, ADL provided a virtual webinar “Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism” for parents and educators. ADL was wonderful to work with and true to their values of inclusion, collaboration, and education. They actively listened to understand our community needs and welcomed us to co-create a webinar with tangible tools for parents of color and white parents to discuss race and racism in age appropriate ways. We all walked away from the webinar with real life, actionable steps to move forward.
– Yukiyo Iida, WH Parent Community Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Groups, West Hartford, CT
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your organization? How have your organization’s fundraising efforts, giving opportunities and volunteer opportunities changed as a result?
2020 has already been a year unlike any other and ADL’s mission to fight hate has only become more urgent. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, our country has engaged in a long overdue reckoning around racial injustice and all of its pervasive and systemic consequences, faced staggering levels of antisemitism, witnessed the triggering of anti-Asian racism related to Coronavirus, and confronted a surge in hate speech online across social media platforms. We’ve seen a sharp rise in hate crimes and hate incidents. White Supremacists of all stripes have tried to seize on this moment to bring attention to their causes and promote hate and distrust. ADL’s Center on Extremism has been working overtime to respond to all these threats.
How have the services you provide to the community changed in response to the COVID’s impact? Have you developed new and far-reaching services/support?
ADL Connecticut is well known for being the number one trainer in schools and communities on anti-bias, anti-hate and antisemitism programs. The pandemic impacted in-person trainings and complicated the intergroup and law enforcement relationships built through one-on-one meetings. In order to unite and inform our community, we quickly pivoted to provide all our trainings, programs, and community outreach virtually. Working with our national office, we have addressed current issues by featuring national experts and provided key resources through our Fighting Hate from Home virtual webinars.
