Activists are resigning from this fellowship over its connection to the ADL

Five progressive leaders have resigned from the Civil Society Fellowship (CSF) over the group’s connection to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The CSF, which is sponsored by the ADL and the Aspen Institute, is a “fellowship for our nation’s next generation of community and civil society leaders, activists and problem-solvers to hone their leadership skills while building relationships across the issue areas and movements from which they come,” according to the groups website.

Earlier this week fellows Jasmine Banks (Executive Director, UnKoch My Campus) and Percilla Frizzell (Founder, Sacred Generations) quit the program over the ADL’s connection to police organizations and consistent opposition to Palestinian freedom.

“Despite what the Civil Society Fellowship website reads, we do not believe that the ADL is an ‘effective advocate on civil rights and matters of justice,” read a statement they released. “Our hands are on the freedom plow together. We are deliberate and organizing toward a society where Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty is realized through collective care and mutual aid. We will not lend our Black and Native femme labor to ‘reform’ the ADL through conversation as Civil Society fellows.”

Now three more fellows have resigned: (Vu Le, Founder, NonprofitAF.com), Kelsey Skaggs (Co-Founder and Executive Director, Climate Defense Project) and Martin Vitorino (Deputy Executive Director, Courage of Care. They also released a statement.

“Given that all Fellows now know the truth about the ADL, remaining in the CSF is not neutral. Each Fellow must actively choose to either align themselves with the ADL by continuing with the Fellowship — or renounce it by leaving,” it reads. “To us, the right choice is clear.”

In August 2020 over 100 human rights organizations signed an open letter calling on progressives to reconsider the ADL as a social justice partner. The #DropTheADL campaign also published a primer on the organization’s history of supporting racist-policing, surveillance, colonialism, and apartheid.

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