Chicago Advisory Board Materials

TAREEQ RASHEED: Good evening, everyone.

AUDIENCE: Good evening.

TAREEQ RASHEED: Before I begin, I want to give thanks and honor to my grandparents and parents. Without those individuals, I would not be here speaking to you tonight.

I want to begin by posing two questions. Who are you? And who are we? My name is Tareeq Rasheed-- Mr. Rasheed, as my students call me. And for the past 25 years, I've been fortunate enough to work for Stephen K. Hayt Elementary, a CPS school located on the far north side of Chicago in the Edgewater neighborhood. For the last 20 years, I've taught English language arts, social science, and civics to middle school students.

Hayt school is a beautiful community composed of diverse students who represent over 40 different languages, cultures, and backgrounds. Even though the majority of our students are from Central America, I have taught students from Malaysia, Bosnia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Palestine, Vietnam. The list is endless. And it's this tapestry of diversity that inspires me, as an educator, to look for more meaningful and relatable ways to connect to my students.

This brings me to my first encounter with Facing History. I attended a week-long professional development workshop about choices in Little Rock about 20 years ago. Now, attending that workshop as a new teacher, this was the first time in my career that I felt validated as a professional, that my voice mattered. The root of this feeling came from a transformative question they asked-- Who am I? This question was not just an icebreaker. I soon learned that this was the foundation of Facing History. Who am I, Facing History?

Even though this question may seem straightforward, it can be challenging to answer. When given to students, this question encourages them to delve into their identities, their history, and understand their roles within the larger context of society. They start to consider not only how they perceive themselves but how others perceive them. With this simple question, students grasp the intricate relationship between the I and the we.

Now, for two decades, I've relied on Facing History workshops and resources. Their workshops are a safe space for teachers to share their stories. Their workshops have shown me how equally important it is to assure my students feel their voices are valued and validated.

The resources also shifted my practices. I incorporate Facing History resources and strategies in my classroom to help students feel secure enough to take risks, be vulnerable, and be open to listen to others. I want them to engage more freely in discussion, especially about challenging topics. And to create this atmosphere, I must also become vulnerable and share my personal experiences.

A great example of this happened a few years ago. Every year, I make sure that I do a deep dive into terms such as prejudice, discrimination, bias, both conscious and unconscious. And in this deep dive, I remind my students that we all hold biases. This particular year, I was doing a Facing History unit in which we read Little Things are Big by Jesús Colón. The author reflects on a New York City subway ride in the 1950s. He sees a young woman struggling on the train, baby in one arm, suitcase in another, two children trailing behind her. And Jesús wants to help. But as a dark-skinned Puerto Rican, he hesitates, fearing this woman, this white American woman, might see him as a threat.

After reading this story, I opened up with my personal experiences when I felt like Jesús. My students then began to share their own experiences. They spoke about being watched on public transit, followed in stores, judged based on language, culture, or race. Almost every student had a recollection about a moment where they knew others were perceiving them differently due to a personal prejudice or bias.

The one story that really stood out was from one student who uses a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy. He spoke about a time when he was at a store, and a cashier leaned down and spoke to him loudly and slowly. He stated that the cashier spoke to him like he was a baby. He told us, people see me in my wheelchair and assume my abilities are diminished. I can hear just fine. I can speak just fine. There's so much I'm capable of doing. And people make these assumptions all the time, and I hate it.

The room fell silent. And in that moment, I saw my students consider a perspective that they had never thought about before. It wasn't just about race, religion, or nationality. Bias and prejudices are everywhere. That conversation helped us grow as a community. So who are we? Facing ourselves.

I recognize that when my students graduate and become adults, they will be inheriting a world we've built, the democracy that we would like to think we have created in this country. And I'll be honest. I worry for my students because I know this democracy is not made for many of them. When I start my civics unit, I like to begin with two items that I want them to analyze-- the phrase, "We, the people," and an image titled the Flag of Faces, offered through the Facing History website.

If you haven't seen this image, it's a picture of the United States flag, and within it are Americans of different ages, ethnicities. And I ask them, find a person that you connect with. I do this as their civics teacher because I feel it's important to teach students not only what democracy is and its history in this country but, more importantly, they need to see individuals who are in their community, their membership represented in this democracy, too, this flag.

Recently, I was struggling with the idea of how we glorify the individual in American culture. I brought this up at a teacher leadership team meeting. And I was reminded that many of us have heroes, but these heroes have not become heroes alone.

The next day, I went to my classroom, and I apologized. You see, I have posters of individuals on my classroom wall-- Harriet, Martin, Malcolm-- and I apologized to my students that, even though Harriet was an incredible, significant abolitionist-- my hero-- she was not alone. Martin was not alone. Malcolm was not alone. Their stories are one of many, a community of stories. And it's these community of stories that are the essence of our democracy, we, the people.

I honestly believe that through Facing History resources/workshops, students are not only given the opportunity to read the community of stories but they share their stories, too. I hope that, through this, they can take ownership of their learning and begin to see themselves as agents of change, bearers of a torch that was lit generations before they were born.

My ask of you tonight is to support Facing History, an organization that gives teachers the fuel to help light the torches for their students. When students have access to Facing History, they see themselves as part of a greater community, a democracy of stories, one that requires both action and empathy. When we can keep this torch burning for our young students, they can take it forward, and, hopefully, they can change the world. So I ask you again, who are you? But more importantly, who are we? Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

NATHAN RAMIN: So a little bit about me and, more importantly, the young people you're about to see. So, again, my name is Nate Ramin. I'm the middle school social studies teacher at Mitchell Elementary. And Mitchell is just proud to be a Facing History school. This year, our English teacher, Derek Gould, and I-- and if you want to see Derek, you can open your program. He's the first picture in there.

[LAUGHTER]

Derek and I partnered to teach three Facing History units for our seventh grade students. And some of these students are here, and you're going to hear from them in just a moment, how they share their experiences with Facing History this year, particularly the most recent units we looked at, which were the Chicago Neighborhoods unit and the Borders & Belonging unit.

Now, I've been asked to keep it short, which is a good thing for you all because I really could go on for hours about these young people. I can't tell you how proud I am of them. If you would have asked me to give a speech in front of a group of strangers when I was in seventh grade, I would have said no.

[LAUGHTER]

But these students, they didn't even blink. They didn't hesitate. They said yes, and can I say my story? They're prepared. And a lot of the credit for that preparation does go to Facing History. Here's the thing about the units we get to teach, Derek and I, with our principal, Katie Welsh, helping us out. They prepare our students, as you've heard, to meet the moment. They really do. They prepare students to understand the world around them and learn how they can use their knowledge to make a positive difference in their communities.

The three students you'll hear from today carry their values with them, values they've learned with Facing History. They carry them with them everywhere they go. So please, join me-- and we gotta raise the roof, y'all-- join me in welcoming Aayla, Amia and Fidel to the stage.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

FIDEL: Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here. My name is Fidel And I am a half-white, half-Hispanic, only child born and raised in Chicago. Throughout my life, I was mostly raised with the Mexican heritage in my family, with my grandparents on my dad's side being from Mexico.

AMIA: Hello, everyone. My name is Amia, but you may call me Mia. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and I go to school in a different neighborhood. Throughout my school life, connecting with others has always been challenging.

AAYLA: I'm Aayla. I'm Hispanic and have lived in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago for my entire life. I grew up speaking English and Spanish. My family always owned our heritage and were proud to be Hispanic. We are all seventh graders at Mitchell Elementary School, and we were invited to speak about our experiences with Facing History & Ourselves. We all believe Facing History has taught us something important that we will carry with us forever, and we wanted to share that with you today.

FIDEL: One very important Facing History experience I had earlier this year was the Chicago Neighborhoods project. In this project, we chose a neighborhood that connected to us in some way and where we had an elder that could tell us the past of that neighborhood. For this project, I chose to research the Little Village neighborhood. I chose this neighborhood because I knew my dad had a lot of experiences there. And since it is a mostly Hispanic neighborhood, my dad's family and me felt very connected with that neighborhood.

Every time me and my dad would go to Little Village, he would point out certain locations and would tell me what would happen there in the past. When I started researching locations in Little Village where I used to go to all the time, it brought back memories from when I was young, not only memories with myself but also with my family.

This project also created an opportunity for me to ask my dad questions about his experiences in the neighborhood and about his childhood. It helped me realize that I did not ask my dad about himself as much as I thought I did. Through the interviews that I had with my dad, I learned how connected he was with the neighborhood. He told me about how, almost every day, he would hang out with the neighborhood kids and is still friends with some of them today.

In addition to learning about my dad, I also learned about Little Village. I learned how it was labeled in the past and how it was almost a redlined neighborhood. This meant they didn't have the same access to housing loans as other neighborhoods. Ultimately, the neighborhood project made me realize how much I connected with Little Village in the past and in the present. This project helped me channel my younger self by researching locations I was really connected to. Now, after researching, I will drive past those locations and try to picture those experiences my dad told me in comparison to how it is today.

[APPLAUSE]

AMIA: The Chicago Neighborhoods project also helped me learn more about Chicago and myself. I chose to research the neighborhood I've lived in my whole life, Marquette Village. Marquette Village is a neighborhood located on the south side of Chicago. My dad first moved there with his mom when he was young and has lived there since then.

When my dad lived there as a child, there was a lot of racism, and KKK members were terrorizing the neighborhood. After they would go away for a little while, my parents returned to the neighborhoods to have a family. This project was going to be more about the people within the community. It helped me become more aware of how others might think about themselves and how I, as a friend and just as a person, can help them.

It also taught me to become more social with the people in my community. Most of the time, I don't really talk to my community, but the project helped me become more comfortable with people around me. This project taught me more about my past, why we live where we do now. Because of this project, I am able to connect to my community better, which has also made me a little bit more social wherever I go.

[APPLAUSE]

AAYLA: A Facing History experience that stood out to me was the Borders & Belonging all-community reading unit in my ELA class. Our teacher had to choose between three books that explored the theme of borders and belonging. I chose to read Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga, which is a book about a girl who moves from Syria to the United States and faces all kinds of borders while in America. These borders keep her from belonging in her new home. And I chose this book because the challenges the character faced drew me in.

This unit helped me to understand that people could struggle with belonging due to the physical and invisible borders that society creates, borders created by language, nationality, and distance. I realized the struggles-- oh. I hadn't really thought about borders before the unit, but after, I realized the struggles that people face in order to belong. I learned how closely belonging and identity are intertwined and how, sometimes, your own identity is a border that impacts your sense of belonging.

I even gained new feelings about my own identity and belonging. I realized I should be more proud of my Latina identity and care more about it because others can't always do that. For example, in Other Words for Home, the main character faces judgment of a part of her identity, which was her nationality.

From this, I realized I am lucky to be able to belong, to be able to be myself without judgment, as I am in a community, which makes me feel like I can belong as myself. I don't face the same judgment as the main character does, which makes me feel like I should be more grateful for that and continue to be loud and proud about who I am, since I have the safety and opportunity to do so.

We can always try to help others along so they don't have to face borders. This will help us build a strong community that provides safety and comfort for a lot of people. Either way, we should be able to welcome others and help them face their struggles when it comes to belonging.

Our experiences of Facing History have helped us connect with our identities, our families, and our communities. We have learned about the history of neighborhoods, and we have learned to remove barriers to belonging and help others be who they are. And we have learned to be social within our communities. We thank you for supporting Facing History in schools so we can continue to realize things about ourselves and the world around us and helping to stop bigotry and hate. Thank you.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

MAUREEN TATSUKO LOUGHNANE: Thank you, everyone. My name is Maureen Tatsuko Loughnane and I am so proud to be the Executive Director of Facing History & Ourselves in Chicago. I am honored to welcome each of you here tonight. And on behalf of the Facing History family, thank you for joining us this evening, and thank you for your incredible support.

Our theme this evening is Facing History: Meeting the Moment. To quote James Baldwin, "History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history." At Facing History, we believe that by studying those stories of the past, we can make sense of the moral choices we must make today. We believe that democracy thrives when we, the people, make choices that are informed by history and by a sense of the common good.

I know many of us are feeling overwhelmed right now. These are daunting times that we are living through. The threats to our democracy and the erasure of our history is real and incredibly chilling. We have seen a rise in hate in all its forms, and the consequences of that hate, in violence towards Jews, Arab Americans, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and anyone who is perceived as other. But hatred grows in silence, in fear, and in isolation. So I thank you and I applaud you all for being here tonight in community.

Facing History believes that the road to democracy begins in the classroom. But outside classroom doors, history is unfolding, and our teachers are under incredible stress. And yet, every day, educators in Chicago and across the country are in school with kids, and Facing History is here for them. For nearly 50 years, we have provided resources for teachers on how to navigate these moments, guiding students to be builders and upholders of our democracy, teaching critical thinking over misinformation and compassion over division.

At Facing History, we have a blueprint to support our educators and students, and research shows that it works. First, we write curriculum. From our tools on fostering civil discourse and media literacy to our units on the Reconstruction period and the Japanese American incarceration, the Holocaust, and the legacy of the murder of Emmett Till, our resources give young people the tools to examine our most difficult histories and navigate crucial conversations with knowledge and compassion.

Second, we train middle and high school teachers and partner with them throughout their careers. Our approach combines academic rigor, emotional engagement, and ethical reflection to help teachers create classrooms where students learn different perspectives and where primary sources inspire discussion and debate.

Finally, and most importantly, we engage students. Facing History teachers support our students to become critical thinkers, to be curious and ask questions to better understand the complexity of their identities and histories so that they recognize our shared humanity and become Upstanders, not bystanders, allies and not bullies.

94% of students said that Facing History increased their capacity to stand up for what they believe in, even if others disagree. And 97% of Facing History students agree that they better understand what antisemitism is, how it is showing up in the world today, and why it is dangerous for our society. I am so excited to share tonight that in Chicago, Facing History is embarking on a new, three-year partnership with Chicago Public Schools. We will be--

[APPLAUSE]

We will be training teachers and providing our content for students across the entire district, from sixth grade through high school. Tonight, I am honored to share some of the impact of our work together. You will hear from Facing History teachers and a group of Facing History students. Before we bring up our first speaker, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to the incredible individuals who made this event possible, first, our tireless and dedicated event co-chairs, Susan Edwards and Lilly Farahnakian.

[APPLAUSE]

And a heartfelt thank you to Kristyn Friske, our Chicago advisory board chair--

[APPLAUSE]

--and all of our Chicago advisory board members for their dedication and their advocacy.

[APPLAUSE]

I also really want to thank our host committee and all of our corporate sponsors that made tonight possible.

[APPLAUSE]

To our chair of the board of directors, Jill Garling, who is in the room tonight--

[APPLAUSE]

--Jill, we are so grateful for your guidance and dedication. And, of course, to all of the educators who are in the room tonight-- please raise your hands if you are an educator.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

Your courage and your commitment to your students are at the heart of everything that we do, and we really cannot thank you enough.