On Friday afternoon — the same day white supremacist Leo Felton answered federal charges of allegedly plotting to bomb a Jewish or African-American monument in Boston — the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) held a rally against hate at the New England Holocaust Memorial. Congressman Mike Capuano and Boston mayor Tom Menino joined more than 100 participants, as did at-large councilors Stephen Murphy and Mickey Roache; at-large council hopeful and former school-committee president Felix Arroyo; Councilors Brian Honan of Allston-Brighton, Mike Ross of the Fenway, Paul Scapicchio of the North End, and Chuck Turner of Roxbury; and council president Charles Yancey of North Dorchester.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones who turned up. Near the end of the rally, Robert Leikind, executive director of the ADL’s New England Region, announced that a member of the white-supremacist National Alliance had been distributing literature at the event. But, he vowed, “They’re just words, and we have hearts that say we will not stand for this.” Other speakers were similarly resolute. “Today we stand here united, to send a message out — not just in Massachusetts, Boston, or this country — that hate has no place in our society, and we all must be vigilant every day of our lives because there are individuals who want to separate us, don’t want us to stand strong, and want to divide us,” said Menino. “Boston is a much more diverse city today than it was a few years ago. In fact, it’s a minority-majority city, and that’s the strength of our city.”

Leikind announced the ADL’s intention to distribute a parent resource kit for fighting prejudice at the beginning of the school year, and to expand the “No Place for Hate” program and peer-training initiatives. He concluded the hourlong rally by leading participants in reciting an anti-bigotry pledge developed by the late Leonard P. Zakim, the former head of the ADL’s New England chapter — and an alleged posthumous target of Felton, who authorities speculate may have been hoping to destroy the picturesque Charles River bridge recently named after the Jewish leader.

Issue Date: July 5 - 12, 2001