Four Resources to Teach About Genocide Awareness and Prevention

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 30, 2015

In several areas of the United States, April is recognized as Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month.
Here are four classroom resources you can use in April, or any time of year, to introduce your students to specific moments in world history while encouraging them to consider the behaviors—such as prejudice, stereotyping, and conformity—that contribute to the proliferation of violence today.

Topics: Art, Books, Professional Development, Armenian Genocide, Facing History Resources, Holocaust, Genocide/Collective Violence, Teaching Resources, Video, History

Soul Music and the Civil Rights Era: Breaking the Racial Barriers

Posted by Andrew Reese on March 29, 2015

Welcome to the second installment of our four-part blog series exploring the connections between music, history, and social change. In this second lesson, students will be introduced to Booker T & the MGs, who were the house band for many Stax Records artists, in addition to being an independent act.

Topics: Teaching Resources, Video, Civil Rights, Sounds of Change, Common Core State Standards, Flipped Classroom, Facing Technology

Meet the Winners of Our First Annual Student & Alumni Upstander Contest!

Posted by Emma Samler on March 26, 2015

We at Facing History are so pleased to announce the winners of our first annual Facing History Together Student & Alumni Upstander Scholarship Contest.

Topics: Contests, Student Voices, Benjamin B. Ferencz, Choosing to Participate, Students, Spoken Word, Toronto, San Francisco Bay Area, Facing History Together, Upstanders, Video

Music and Identity

Posted by Andrew Reese on March 22, 2015

This week we're kicking off a four-part blog series exploring the connections between music, history, and social change.

Topics: Art, Facing History and Ourselves, Teaching Resources, Video, Civil Rights, Sounds of Change, Diversity, Common Core State Standards, Flipped Classroom, Facing Technology

Five Facing History Resources That Use Poetry to Build Skills

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 20, 2015

April is National Poetry Month in the United States. By writing, reading, and analyzing poetry, students can study important lessons from history and explore topics of religion, culture, community, and identity. Get ready with five resources that use poetry to build reading and writing skills and encourage student voice.

Topics: Classrooms, Books, English Language Arts, Poetry, Writing, Students, Facing History Resources, Holocaust, Memoir, Teaching Resources, Survivor Testimony

Confronting Antisemitism

Posted by Karen Murphy on March 18, 2015

Last week, the United States media reported on an event that took place at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

A month ago, UCLA student Rachel Beyda put herself forward as a candidate for a student judicial board position. In the interview process, a student board member asked her, "Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?"

Members of the board then debated her candidacy and her ability to be unbiased.

Topics: Antisemitism, Facing History Resources, Religious Tolerance, Holocaust, Teaching Resources, History

Talking About Injustice: Watch Bryan Stevenson Live This Week

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 16, 2015

We're thrilled to partner with The Allstate Foundation to host Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, for two events this week as part of our national Community Conversation series. And we are excited to bring these events to audiences all over the world! Read on for two ways you can tune in:

Topics: Choosing to Participate, Events, Facing History Together, Facing History and Ourselves, Civil Rights

What Role Can Music Play as an Agent of Change?

Posted by Andrew Reese on March 15, 2015

What is soul music?

Topics: Art, Facing History and Ourselves, Teaching Resources, Video, Civil Rights, Sounds of Change, Diversity, Common Core State Standards, Flipped Classroom, Facing Technology

How Can Understanding History Nurture Civic Participation?

Posted by Julia Rappaport on March 12, 2015

As we prepare to spend tomorrow thinking about ways to nurture civic participation in young people, we wanted to republish a great story about two Facing History students whose study of history and the choices people make inspired them to petition the Oxford English Dictionary to add the word upstander to its pages.

Topics: Student Voices, Choosing to Participate, Events, Students, Facing History Together, Upstanders, Day of Learning

Ready To Be Inspired?

Posted by Emma Samler on March 10, 2015

To see the impact Facing History has on young minds, look no further than our Student & Alumni Upstander Scholarship Contest semifinalists. Their visions for a world of peace and justice are inspiring and instructional, and each demonstrates a unique, thought-provoking worldview.

Topics: Contests, Choosing to Participate, Students, Facing History Together, Upstanders