The Respect Rundown is a companion blog for the Foundation’s diversity newsletter, Respect. All articles published in Respect, (complete with discussion questions) are posted to the blog so they may be used as individual handouts.
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The Respect Rundown
School Dress Codes Present Double Standard
by Michael Barbella School dress codes have existed for decades. Today, according to statistics, across the nation 46 percent of primary schools, 70 percent of middle schools and 55 percent of high...
Long-Awaited Decision Not a Piece of Cake
by Maria Wood Freedom of religion is a hot button issue for most Americans, and so is the protection of LGBTQ rights. So when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado...
Harvard Lawsuit Tests Limits of Affirmative Action
by Maria Wood It would be great if everyone who applied to higher education were judged on merit alone and affirmative action was not needed. But, as Andre M. Perry, an education advocate who...
Explaining the Roots of Institutional Racism
by Phyllis Raybin Emert Individual acts of racism are easy to identify. A young white man shoots members of a black church. The n-word is painted on a family’s home. Black people are beaten or...
School Discipline Harsher for Black Students
by Michael Barbella The way a disciplinary incident involving a sixth-grader was handled at a school in Florida is reflective of the racial bias that has existed in American school discipline...
You’ve Got Bail—If You Have the Cash
by Alice Popovici The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.” Despite this...
Convicting With a Divided Jury
by Phyllis Raybin Emert John Adams, Founding Father and our second president, once said: “It is the unanimity of the jury that preserves the rights of mankind.” The federal justice system operates...
Fighting Against Hate
by Maria Wood According to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2018, there were more than 7,100 reported hate crime incidents nationwide. The bulk of those hate...
Does Technology Discriminate?
by Michael Barbella We all come into contact with facial recognition software everyday, sometimes without even knowing it. The technology is used in everything from unlocking iPhones to opening...
Can Hate Be Banned From Social Media?
by Phyllis Raybin Emert Freedom of speech is the foundation of the United States. Social media has changed the landscape of free speech but essentially the same rules apply. The First Amendment to...
Selecting the Perfect Jury Without Bias
by Maria Wood In general, attorneys—whether on the defense or prosecution—want to obtain a jury that is favorable to their side. The practice of jury selection, however, has come under scrutiny...
Polish Law Sparks Controversy and a Reckoning of History
by Michael Barbella Auschwitz. Belzec. Chelmno. Majdanek. Sobibor. Treblinka. Those are names of extermination camps that will be forever linked to the worst genocide in human history. Millions of...