Nation's Students Explore Racism At DC Gathering

WASHINGTON - Eighty-five ethnically and racially diverse high school students from across the country will travel to Washington, D.C. to learn about the Holocaust and issues of racism and prejudice as part of an intensive, four-day Anti-Defamation League (ADL) program.

They are participants in the 13th annual ADL Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission from November 14-17, 2010. The students, selected for their leadership potential and demonstrated interest in issues of diversity, hail from Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Florida, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York and Washington, D.C. Each student is an anti-bias peer trainer at their school.

The delegation will visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, engage with Holocaust survivors -- including ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman -- and World War II veterans. Students will participate in interactive ADL anti-bias workshops and explore issues of prejudice in their own lives. They will attend ADL’s annual Concert Against Hate at the KennedyCenter.

“This mission enables high school students to bear witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust, while also learning about modern-day prejudice,” said Mr. Foxman. “The moral and ethical issues raised will help them apply lessons to their own lives, and ultimately combat racism, bigotry and hatred in their schools and communities.”