‘No Place for Hate’ program for schools receives $100K from American Eagle
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The Anti-Defamation League hopes to double the number of schools in Western Pennsylvania using its “No Place for Hate” program to expand anti-bias education.
American Eagle Outfitters donated $100,000 to the program Tuesday to help it grow across Allegheny County schools.
Twenty-four schools use the program now. With this most recent gift from American Eagle, the Anti-Defamation League hopes to bring the program to more than 50.
“To stop hate, we must change hearts and minds and teach hearts and minds,” James Pasch, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Tuesday at American Eagle’s headquarters on the South Side. “And that’s why we believe it is so important to focus on our children.”
The “No Place for Hate” program promotes ideas of tolerance in more than 1,700 schools in the U.S. The program provides resources like lesson plans, reports and other tools to help schools incorporate anti-bias and anti-bullying resources into existing programs.
American Eagle gave $100,000 to the program in October 2018, following the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. Since then, the number of schools participating in Allegheny County tripled from eight to 24.
With Tuesday’s money, the goal is to expand the program’s reach even further, said Pasch, and serve up to 30 more schools in Allegheny County.
Steve Irwin, a regional board member of the Anti-Defamation League, said American Eagle’s quick response put them at the forefront of bringing lasting change to the region. He said that expanding the Anti-Defamation League’s services is especially important for schools on the edges of Allegheny County and into Westmoreland County.
“Particularly because there is not the diversity, we need to be there,” said Irwin. “Those kids who have grown up in areas where they do not have interactions on a regular basis with people that are different from them, inclusiveness is not as tangible.”
Expanding the program in the aftermath of the Tree of Life shooting is personal for Irwin. He was a cantor at Tree of Life for three years but wasn’t affiliated with the synagogue at the time of the shooting. Still, he knows the rooms where the shooting took place. He knows where he would have run, where he would have hidden.
In the last five years, there has been a 150% increase in reported anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S., according to the Anti-Defamation League. Pasch said that from 2016 to 2018, the Anti-Defamation League recorded a 46% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in K-12 schools across the nation.
But since the Tree of Life shooting, there has been progress in Western Pennsylvania, Pasch said. This year, there are about 16,750 students enrolled in Pittsburgh-area schools that participate in “No Place for Hate,” about 5,000 more students than last year. There has been an increase in educators trained in anti-bias training, going from 115 educators in 2018 to 1,140 in 2019.
Dan Zelenski, assistant principal at Upper Saint Clair High School, said he’s seen a noticeable difference in the culture at school since students started the “No Place for Hate” program in January. Students are taking initiative, using positive language and are showing excitement for upcoming programs.
Zelenski said the school is planning to host at least one event per month. In February, the “No Place for Hate” program is partnering with the school’s Black Student Union and Multi-Cultural Club to provide programming in honor of Black History Month. Next month, the school is planning an entire week of activities to celebrate diversity.
Zelenski said “No Place for Hate” is largely student-led. The program asks students to lead groups that identify issues in their schools, develop goals to address them and implement anti-bias and diversity activities.
“This ‘No Place for Hate’ program has been able to bring our school community together, not only through all the stakeholders but also with the different clubs coming together for these activities,” Zelenski said. “I definitely have seen a positive energy throughout our building and also throughout our district.”