A recurring theme in this blog is the celebration of people and/or organizations that have a positive impact on their communities. What they do is not easy, but it’s inspirational, and we don’t hear enough about them. So I’ve decided to commit to singing their praises at least once a month. I’m calling it Mid-Month Marvels. If you have any suggestions for the focus of this monthly spotlight, let me know in the comments below!
I am a strong supporter of any organization whose goal is fighting back against hate groups. It sickens me that we need organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and the one I’m talking about today, The Anti-Defamation League. Unfortunately they are badly needed in this era of ignorance and racism.
The reason the ADL sprung to mind at this moment for me is that, as per usual, my drawbridge has been tagged with a lot of graffiti, and I’m all about trying to understand the messages people send. So I find that the ADL’s Hate Symbols Database is a useful resource. It often clarifies what is currently happening to the surface of my bridge, and, by extension, the neighborhood in which I work.
Because hate groups know darned well that the messages they are sending are despicable, they often send them in code. It’s usually a code that is overlooked by the general populous, but it’s crystal clear to the hate groups and the targets thereof. It’s like wandering through a country that uses a different alphabet. You don’t know what’s going on, and in this case it’s a lot more pleasant not to know.
But it’s important to be educated. Check out the database. It is eye-opening.
The ADL speaks out on a wide variety of hate-related issues. They are very much against voter suppression. They stand against police brutality. They want to counter domestic extremism. They are concerned by the surge in antisemitism. They agree with me that Trump should be banned from social media indefinitely. They want increased reporting of hate crimes.
What’s not to love about this organization? Please join me in supporting the ADL in any way that you can. We need to stand up against hate in all its many forms.
A big thanks to StoryCorps for inspiring this blog and my first book. http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
I’ll check them out for sure. I wonder if they are keeping up to date on the incels, MRA’s, MGOTW’s and that lot. Killings and so on based on misogyny are hate crimes just as much as racist ones. And I’m sickened about Afghanistan.
I’m sicked by all of the above. We are animals, and are not even domesticated.
these days we have to recognize the problem of zionist oppression of palestinians – if you try to talk about the zionists call you anti-semite whether you are jewish or not
I am definitely pro-palestine, and yes, there’s an agenda behind every organization, but the ADL has plenty to watch out for, and in that they do an excellent job.