Annual Civil Rights Programs and Events

Essex County Law & Education Day
At the ADL New England's Annual Essex County Law and Education Day, legal, education, law enforcement and interfaith leaders came together to explore recent incidents of hate in their community and ways to prevent future incidents of hate.

In 2007, the main topic was Security in the Commonwealth, featuring keynote speaker Kevin M. Burke, Secretary of Public Safety for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 2008, keynote speaker Jonathan W. Blodgett, Essex County District Attorney, spoke about the issue of Protecting Our Children from Cyberbullying. In 2009, the day focused on How Schools and Communities Respond to Hate, featuring personal stories from a student and principal.

Honorable David A. Rose Civil Rights Award Breakfast
The Honorable Judge David A. Rose was one of the most important leaders in ADL history. The eminent former justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and member of the House of Representatives was a dynamic participant in the fields of civil rights and civil liberties, serving ADL nationally as Chairman of the Civil Rights Committee before becoming Chairman of the National Executive Committee.

Judge Rose is remembered for a lifetime of dedication to democratic values and Jewish communal work. The annual Honorable David A. Rose Civil Rights Award Breakfast honors an individual for his or her commitment to the promotion of civil and human rights like Judge Rose demonstrated. This year, ADL New England honored Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and Founding and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice.

Summer Associate Research Program
ADL offers an annual Summer Associate Research Program (SARP) for Massachusetts law firms. Law students/summer associates are supervised by attorneys at their firms as they complete pro bono legal research on cutting edge civil rights issues facing the ADL. This research then serves as a critical resource for ADL's advocacy throughout the year.

During the 2009 Summer Associate Research Program, 60 summer associates at 14 of Boston’s top law firms examined 31 tough legal questions, presenting their findings at a breakfast reception hosted by Brown Rudnick LLP.