Prejudice is a negative or hostile attitude, opinion, or feeling toward a person or group formed without adequate knowledge, thought, or reason and based on negative stereotypes. Prejudice is the result of "prejudgment" and often leads to discrimination.

No one is born prejudiced! Prejudice is learned and can be "unlearned." Prejudices are attitudes rooted in ignorance and a fear of differences. Whether the seeds are planted around the dinner table, on the playing field, by the water cooler, or in the boardroom, they can grow out of control.

Even worse, when not uprooted, prejudices get passed on from one generation to the next and can fuel discrimination, victimization, bigotry, and hate. With awareness, education, and action, we can weed them out.

Community leaders, students, and teachers who participate in the Anti-Defamation League's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE^® Institute programs repeatedly ask for specific ideas on how to encourage others to take up the fight against hate. In response to their requests, the ADL has developed this citizen's action guide. In the Web pages that follow, you will find a wealth of creative approaches and solutions you can apply to your community.

• Day 1. Know your roots and share your pride in your heritage with others.
  
• Day 2. Celebrate holidays with extended family. Use such opportunities to encourage storytelling and share personal experiences across generations.
  
• Day 3. Invite friends from backgrounds different from your own to experience the joy of your traditions and customs.
  
• Day 4. Be mindful of your language; avoid stereotypical remarks and challenge those made by others.
  
• Day 5. Speak out against jokes and slurs that target people or groups. Silence sends a message that you are in agreement. It is not enough to refuse to laugh.
  
• Day 6. Be knowledgeable; provide as much accurate information as possible to reject harmful myths and stereotypes. Discuss as a family the impact of prejudicial attitudes and behavior.
  
• Day 7. Plan family outings to diverse neighborhoods in and around your community and visit local museums, galleries and exhibits that celebrate art forms of different cultures.
  
• Day 8. Visit important landmarks in your area associated with the struggle for human and civil rights such as museums, public libraries and historical sites.
  
• Day 9. Research your family tree and trace your family's involvement in the struggle for civil and human rights or the immigration experience. Identify personal heroes and positive role models.
  
• Day 10. Read and encourage your children to read books that promote understanding of different cultures as well as those that are written by authors of diverse backgrounds.