Michelle Reiff is a playwright and the founder of GreasePaint Script House. Michelle’s musicals have been produced at local schools as in-class and after-school enrichment and have been used as programming for ADL’s No Place for Hate®  initiative. She has been a member of the ADL Mountain States Regional Board since 2012. Read about what ADL’s work means to Michelle, the inspirational example set by her mother, and her advice to those committed to making a positive impact.

ADL: What motivated you to join the ADL Mountain States Regional Board, and why do you support ADL? 

Michelle Reiff: I had been on the board many years ago before I had my children, and when (former Board Chair) Andrea Shpall asked me to consider joining again, I was honored and ready to get back into it. At the time, I was most aware of ADL’s A World of Difference Institute, and was inspired by its message to help children grow into a world where differences are celebrated, and it is okay to be friends with people who look and think differently from themselves. I grew up with a mother who embraced that viewpoint, and I have devoted many of my creative energies towards ADL’s education initiatives such as No Place for Hate®. 

Since that time, I have learned that ADL has many programs that aim to better the lives of people in so many different ways.  I believe that ADL is vital to making people aware of not only the hate that still exists but also the ways to both combat it and work through it.  I love that ADL strives to make all people feel valued, important, seen, and heard. I appreciate that ADL is there when antisemitic sentiments are drawn on a middle school chalkboard as well as when a place of worship is attacked – and everything in between. It is an honor to be part of this important and dynamic organization. 

 

ADL: Who are some of the people that have served as role models for you, both in the area of social justice and generally? 

MR: The work that all of the ADL staff and community do is inspiring.  I admire and learn from all of them.  

My biggest role model is my mother.  Though I lived in a mostly all white neighborhood, she taught in one with large Black and Hispanic communities that were probably economically challenged as well. To her, the kids were all her kids, and we were lucky to get to know quite a few of them.  In the summers, she volunteered and worked with several families in particular, and we became friends with them, so I grew up learning that no matter a child’s circumstances, race, or identity, all kids were worthy of respect and our friendship. I thank my mother for raising us that way – without making a big “lesson” out of it, but just by being who she was. 

 

ADL: What is your advice for people who are committed to positive change? 

MR: I would tell those who want to effect change to stay with it.  Change is slow and sometimes comes so incrementally that it can be barely noticeable. I would also tell people that while grand action often gets the most notice, even the smallest step makes a difference. If all you are able to do is send a postcard, make a call, attend a program, or even just listen to one person’s story, that action can have a huge effect, especially to the person to whom you are listening. Don’t judge yourself by what others do but recognize that what you do ultimately can make the same impact and bring about change.