Ideas This Week
Ideas This Week is your hub for updates on all things Facing History—from announcements and featured press to expert interviews, impact stories, and essays on the ideas driving our work.
6 New Books on Genocide
Facing History identifies six books that elevate understudied aspects of multiple historical genocides and the connections between them to aid efforts of genocide prevention within a global climate of rising hate.
![Cropped Messengers of Disaster: Raphael Lemkin, Jan Karski, and Twentieth Century Genocides book cover.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/messengersofdisaster_large.jpeg?h=3e076d8c&itok=mTbBqYhr)
On Existing: A Personal Reflection
Facing History staff takes a moment to reflect on personal experiences of being a minority amidst a climate of hate and the ability to use reading as a tool for discovering oneself.
![Photo from trans rights march.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/transreflection.jpeg?h=c6980913&itok=xFqakjYv)
A Brief History of Barbie: From Fashion Model to Ida B. Wells
The introduction of the Ida B. Wells Barbie as part of the Women Series of Barbies marks an opportunity to gain meaningful insight into changing conceptions of gender, race, and education through the emergence and evolution of Barbie.
![Ida B. Wells barbie in court.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/idwbarbie_large.jpeg?h=e188ef2c&itok=DaKAijbC)
Teaching in the Light of Women's History
Women’s History Month not only provides the opportunity to further examine the profound ways in which women teachers, and broader perceptions of women, have shaped the teaching profession itself, but also reveals areas of patriarchal rhetoric we must disrupt in order to cultivate school communities that do right by teachers and students.
![Black and white School House 1870 photo with woman teacher.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Schoolhouse1870_Cropped.jpeg?h=82a2e98c&itok=UherGAUe)
5 New Books on Black History
These titles cover themes in Black history that are closely connected to the themes of our educator resources including the significant roles of Black people in the construction of the U.S. and the implications of decisions to memorialize (or not memorialize) those events.
![Book cover images of The South and Black Hands, White House](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/south_black_hands_book_covers.jpeg?h=cabca9e9&itok=Jexh0Mbc)
7 Must-See Films on Native American History and Life
The seven documentaries series listed below cover wide-ranging subject matter including Native American peoples’ roles within and perspectives about the film medium, the women’s rights movement, K-12 education, political leadership, literary arts, musical performance, and language protection efforts.
![A portion of the Without a Whisper documentary film poster.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/without_whisper_film_poster.jpeg?h=e2256408&itok=3Pm57673)
6 Indigenous-Led COP26 Events You Can Stream
With the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) currently taking place, Facing History hand-selected a curated list of conference events that speak to the Indigenous ways of conceiving of the natural world and its relationship to humanity.
![Indigenous Justice is Climate Justice sign in crowd protesting for environmental justice.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/ijicj_large.jpeg?h=5dc822d2&itok=9Da4VNUE)
5 New Books on Native American History, Life, and Resistance
In honor of Native American Heritage Month this November, Facing History staff members selected five new books exploring significant thematic grounds of Native American history and identity to highlight the importance of engaging students in exploring the histories and contemporary realities of Native American peoples beyond this month.
![Cropped Black Snake book cover.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/BS_Large.jpeg?h=8215e639&itok=byqW5CSY)
The Problem of Archival Silences
Archives play a central role in shaping our perceptions of the past. It is vital that we ask critical questions about what a given archive may exclude, for what purposes it was assembled, and what this means about the stories it enables historians to tell.
![A book with worn blank pages sits open-faced.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/ArchivalSilences_Large.jpg?h=8e4088dc&itok=nsjEvQ59)
5 Reads for Teachers on LGBTQIA+ History
In order for educators to ensure that LGBTQIA+ histories get their due in the classroom all year long, Facing History provides five reads that reflect on evolving ways of narrating the past, while centering underacknowledged narratives and protagonists who may not have been considered appropriate historical subjects in prior eras.
![Stock photo of rainbow notebooks and tablet.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Untitled%20design%20%2812%29.png?h=a6c55029&itok=G1bjQbx2)
10 Must Watch Films on LGBTQIA+ History
In honor of LGTBQ History Month, Facing History provides a list of ten documentary films and television series for an opportunity to gain knowledge of LGBTQIA+ histories and for educators to ensure these histories are addressed in the classroom.
![Stock photo of film camera.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29.png?h=a6c55029&itok=sm0Ri-zd)