Southeast
Serving educators, schools, and districts across the southeastern United States since 1992.
Memphis 1968
The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remains relevant 50 years after his assassination in 1968. The lessons and resources below help educators and community members explore the issues that Dr. King raised in Memphis and ask the question, "What is the role of civic engagement in a healthy democracy?"
Memphis 1968
The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remains relevant 50 years after his assassination in 1968. The lessons and resources below help educators and community members explore the issues that Dr. King raised in Memphis and ask the question, "What is the role of civic engagement in a healthy democracy?"
For over 30 years, our Southeastern office, based in Memphis, has worked deeply in Shelby County and other areas in the region, notably Chattanooga, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky.
Our content and methodology enhance the goals and objectives of Tennessee's state frameworks, including history/social science and English/language arts, and the Common Core State Standards. Our semester-long Facing History high school elective course has been certified by the Tennessee Department of Education and is currently taught in 25 high schools. The Shelby County Schools have adopted Facing History units as a mandate for the social studies curriculum in grades 6-8. We also have a robust presence in independent and parochial schools.
Our Impact
3400+
schools in the Southeast with Facing History trained educators.
59,000+
area educators supported with Facing History guidance and resources.
Engaging New Communities
In 2019, we launched the New Communities project to bring Facing History to more of the Southeast than ever before, including rural, urban and suburban areas that had not previously had access to our programs or resources.
The 12 states served by the Southeast region are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
With hate crimes and xenophobia on the rise, Facing History’s work has never been more urgent.
—
Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean, former superintendent of Memphis City Schools
Jose Guerrero
Learn about Jose Guerrero, a grassroots activist instrumental in the founding of Latino Memphis.
Reverend Frank McRae
Learn about Reverend Frank McRae, the minister of St. John's United Methodist Church from 1976 to 1995.
Yellow Fever Upstanders
Learn about the ordinary citizens who volunteered to fight the yellow fever outbreak in 1878.
Nina Katz
Learn about Nina Katz, a Holocaust survivor instrumental in establishing the Facing History & Ourselves office in Memphis, TN.
Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles
Learn about Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles, founder and pastor of Monumental Baptist Church and Civil Rights activist.
Lucy Tibbs
Learn about Lucy Tibbs, survivor of the Memphis Massacre whose courageous testimony led to the passage of the 14th amendment.
John T. Fisher II
Learn about John T. Fisher II, a community leader and organizer who helped united Memphis after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Sheldon Korones
Learn about Dr. Sheldon Korones, founder of one of the oldest and largest neonatal intensive care units in the United States.
Ida B. Wells
Learn about Ida B. Wells, an African American journalist and early civil rights activist.
T.O. Jones
Learn about T.O. Jones, a sanitation worker who led the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike in 1968.
Rabbi James A. Wax
Learn about Rabbi James A Wax, Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel in Memphis from 1954 to 1978.
Our Leadership
Michele Phillips
Executive Director
Reggie Crenshaw
Advisory Board Chair
Do you have questions for our team? Contact us today.
Get in Touch
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Southeast Benefit Dinner
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Hilton Memphis | 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38120
Celebrating 30 years in Memphis and the Southeast!
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Join us for an interactive experience, facilitated by our Student Leaders, on what it means to belong to a community where our shared humanity is recognized and respected.
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In response to the rise of legislation targeting transgender people, Facing History provides resources for educators to build an affirming, welcoming class community for your students, especially trans and non-binary students.
