I just returned from an event to support the Anti-Defamation League, which has a terrific program for school kids to teach them about bigotry and prejudice. It is called A World of Difference Institute, and by the end of the training program the children take the following pledge:
I pledge from this day onward to do my best to be aware of my own biases against people who are different from me. I will ask questions about cultures, religions, and races and other individual differences that I don't understand. I will interrupt prejudice and speak out against those who initiate it. I will reach out to support those who are targets of harassment. I will identify specific ways that my peers, my school, and my community can promote greater respect for people and create a prejudice-fee zone. I firmly believe that one person can make a world of difference and that no person can be an "innocent bystander" when it comes to opposing hate.
Good sentiments all, I say. It takes real guts to "interrupt prejudice," as it is much easier to stand quietly by. Of course, doing the latter just legitimizes the bad behavior.
