Educator Resources

Your Personal Anti-Bias/Hatred/Prejudice/Discrimination Creed

"Creed" comes from the Latin word, "credo" which means, "I believe." I want you to take a few minutes to brainstorm about all the things YOU BELIEVE about bias, hatred, prejudice, and discrimination. Just like acontractor must have a blueprint when building a house, you should have a blueprint for how you want to live your life.

You will start by listing AT LEAST 10 adjectives (use online thesaurus) that focus on positive descriptors. Some examples are: honorable, kind, caring, etc. DO NOT JUST THROW THIS TOGETHER, believe in it, MAKE IT YOURS, and write something of which you’ll be proud. Think about what YOU would do in certain situations. Would you speak up? Would you fight for a stranger who was being wronged? Would you turn your back and leave someone alone with nobody by his or her side? Your creed should focus on what kind of person you want to BE, and perhaps what kind of person you want others to be as well.

I will…
Sheree Crites, November 15, 2009

I will keep my mouth closed and my ears open more often.
I will respect the ideas and beliefs of others,
no matter how silly I think the ideas or beliefs may be.
I will always remember how hurtful hateful words are
and swear to myself I will not cause that pain to others.
I will come to the aid of a friend or stranger who needs me.
I will not be afraid to say, "You should be ashamed for that."
I will try my best to be honorable
as I teach others they are wrong for the pain they cause.
I will pray that those with hate and prejudice in their heart
see the wrong in their ways and that they will change for the better.
I will design a peaceful Pogrom that instead of wreaking havoc
will unleash goodness and mercy to everyone I meet.
My Final Solution will be one designed to include brown eyes,
brown skin, green eyes, red hair, Baptists, Jews, Catholics,
Muslims, Buddhists, and everyone in between.
Like a thief in the night I will sneak into someone's life
and prove to them they will be happier by bringing happiness to others.
There are people who say, "Some people are too old to change."
I believe until the breath is gone and the soul has left the body,
the angriest and most hardened of bigots can become a friend to all.

THIS WILL BE DUE _______________. Please do not wait until the night before to write this. You will not be as proud of it if you just throw it together.

To receive full credit, your creed will be at LEAST 25 lines long. Your creed does not have to rhyme, it can be written in prose. You can use the pronouns I, we, you, us, etc.

EXTRA CONSIDERATION will be given to writers who include imagery, similes, metaphors, allusion to the Holocaust, and other stylistic devices. DON’T OVERUSE them just to use them, make your words mean it!