Published February 02, 2022
A Broad-Based Coalition of 22 Organizations Urge the Anti-Defamation League to Change Its Politicized Definition of “Racism”
by
CFER
For Immediate Release
February 2, 2022
**SAN DIEGO, CA -- February 2, 2022- **Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER), along with 21 partner groups, sent a joint letter to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), condemning its re-definition of racism as "(t)he marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people." In the letter, CFER and other co-signing organizations argue that ADL's redefinition is an "inflammatory mischaracterization of an historically and contemporarily consequential concept" and implore ADL to embrace an accurate and non-political definition.
"The far left is waging a culture war by redefining and engineering fundamental concepts that we use daily, including racism, along political and ideological lines," commented Frank Xu, president of CFER. "As a society, we must be on high alert and push back."
CFER was joined by a diverse consortium of partner groups in this joint initiative, including: Alliance to Protect Children, America Strong, A Time to Stand, California Policy Center, Center of the American Experiment, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Greater New York, Coalition for TJ, Fair Education Santa Barbara, Free Black Thought, For Kids & Country, I Choose Love Campaign, Moms for Liberty, National Association of Scholars, National Society for the Advancement of Black Americans, No Left Turn in Education, Parents Defending Education, Protect Our Kids, San Diego Asian Americans for Equality, Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation, Stop Critical Race Theory, and TOC Foundation.
The letter pinpoints the absurd and narrow-minded nature of ADL's redefinition of "racism" with roots in critical race theory, as a deeply offensive, illiberal, and un-American ploy to "ascribe guilt and innocence to individuals on the basis of their race." In closing, we ask the ADL to return to its previous definition of racism as "the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person's social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics."
Contact:
Wenyuan Wu
wenyuan.wu@cferfoundation.org
About Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER):
We are a non-partisan and non-profit organization established following the defeat of Proposition 16 in 2020, with a mission to defend and raise public awareness on the cause of equal rights through public education, civic engagement and community outreach. In 1996, California became the first U.S. state to amend its constitution by passing Proposition 209 to ban racial discrimination and preferences. Prop. 209 requires that “the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.” CFER is dedicated to educating the public on this important constitutional principle of equal treatment.