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.
Why Genocide Recognition Matters
Facing History Sr. Director of Marketing & Analytics Jen Langley reflects on her personal connection to the Armenian Genocide.
![Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of The Armenians cover.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/CAHCGOA.jpeg?h=c58b31e4&itok=04yJPKcV)
bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress
Like many people of my generation who cut their teeth on the critical insights of bell hooks, news of her passing in December unleashed a wave of reflection for me about the ways she’s impacted me as a person and public scholar. Beyond the many moments of resonance I experienced while reading her writings over the years, her impact on me is most powerfully encapsulated in an experience I had in 2008 when I met her.
![bell hooks standing on stage and speaking while holding a microphone.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/bellhooks.jpeg?itok=jpRETw0k)
African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"
As a United Nations panel of experts is set up to investigate systemic racism and human rights abuses against Black people around the world, we explore a series of African American leaders who have invoked the language of “human rights” to underscore the urgency of their situation here in the U.S.
![Olympians on the podium, bowing their heads and raising a fist with a black glove.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Fist_raised_Olympics_1968public_domain.jpeg?h=96687ce6&itok=yaBd2oCU)
13 Teaching Ideas on Human Rights
During Universal Human Rights Month, in December, we invite you to use any of these Teaching Ideas grounded in social-emotional learning (SEL) that provide ample social and historical context while being concise and easy to integrate into your classroom conversations.
![Paper cut outs of face profiles in different skin tones.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/graphical_diversity_paper_faces_1894061167.jpeg?h=3a5dff94&itok=qAstbdWw)
More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories
The wendigo stories of Algonquian peoples offer a window into the endurance of cultural resources used to transmit significant moral values, and underscore the power of Native people using these stories to engage in social critique.
![Deer antlers cage a child, burying their face in their hands in fear.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Antlers_2021_poster.jpeg?h=aff6c105&itok=7m2YY2cJ)
Facing History From Day One: An Interview with New Haven Academy
New Haven Academy is an innovative public high school that serves a diverse student population. In this interview, the school's founders discuss the vital role that Facing History has played in shaping their distinctive school culture, curriculum, and pedagogy.
![New Haven Academy school entrance.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/NewHavenAcademy.jpg?h=a47ca1c4&itok=h2iBPAYT)
LA Upstander: SAMEAN Voices
Each week, SAMEAN Voices consistently builds engaging and interactive curriculum, facilitating vulnerable and transformative dialogues for their peers. While SAMEAN Voices presents from an AMEMSA experience, they are open to all students and staff and their meetings have a high multiracial and multiethnic attendance.
![Picture of SAMEAN Board.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SAMEAN%20Board%202020-2021.png?h=125a58ae&itok=HlD8tBHT)
LA Upstander: Hailey C.
Hailey has been a prominent voice in our weekly Upstander meetings regardless of the topic. She has advocated for us to support people experiencing homelessness through various means.
![Picture of Hailey C.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Hailey%20C..jpg?h=6f07e6cc&itok=r68hdYZl)
LA Upstander: Sanaia W.
Sanaia stands out because she has stood up as a leader and as a beacon of positivity in her grade level.
![A selfie of student Sanaia.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SanaiaW.jpg?h=de2e6114&itok=zbWrESSA)
LA Upstander: Heydy V.
Heydy participated in a youth leadership workshop for I Learn America (ILA), a project that brings students together to tell their stories of migration.
![Picture of Heydy V.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Heydy.png?h=260cdf12&itok=dKNsskdj)
LA Upstander: Itzel J.
Itzel J. is someone who has learned how to advocate for her needs, support her classmates through their own struggles by offering advice, all while having such a positive attitude at our school.
![Picture of Itzel J.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Itzel%20J..jpeg?h=211c8216&itok=nbSmcs0_)