Prejudice: Role of Human Relations Programs

Having worked for 27 years as a professional in the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, I am fully aware of ADL’s “World of Difference” program and those of the National Conference of Christians and Jews Human Relations Retreat. The latter also has a fine summer camp program where living together expands and helps cement understanding (“The Division Problem,” Dec. 15).

Important as recognition of differences is, the key to solving “division” is making American democracy work. That calls for unity with diversity and “differences” merged for the common good.

As the nature of prejudice is complex, and clouds the vision of a world needing to live in peace to survive, any and all programs in this field of human relations education must educate, and stress, the importance of the promise proclaimed in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and found in ADL’s preamble: “ . . . to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike.”

That the challenge remains is evident in all that’s happening not only in our school system, but society and the world as a whole.

Pride in self and group are positives. But to create the power to light our way(s), we need to link together (and) recognize the commonality that serves self best.

HYMAN H. HAVES

Pacific Palisades