In the spring of 2015, a recognized hate group, AFDI, put up anti-Muslim advertisements on Philadelphia's public buses. When faced with this display of ignorance and bigotry, Interfaith Philadelphia made the decision to replace hate with understanding and encourage the people of this region to Dare to Understand. We invite you to look back at what Interfaith Philadelphia and our broad-based coalition has accomplished in the face of hate in 2015 and to recognize the myriad ways that we all have turned this into a teachable moment.
To supplement the public awareness campaign in our communities, Interfaith Philadelphia created two student activity guides for use by educators and other adults who work closely with young people to help students learn strategies for dispelling stereotypes, gain communication skills for articulating their identities, and express curiosity in respectful ways. We also prepared a pair of memos to help local leaders to understand the context and implications of the anti-Muslim ads that ran in Philadelphia and provide them with resources to address the questions and concerns among individuals and families in their communities.
Thanks to a generous grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, Interfaith Philadelphia has begun planning a Dare to Understand public art initaitive which will, hopefully, memorialize this campaign and carry its message through for years to come.