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.
Using Poetry to Teach US History
Poetry can connect students to the emotions and decisions of experiences of people throughout US history.
![Examining Passengers Aboard Ships, Vessel Is The Shimyo Maru, Angel Island, California](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-05/00482-2011-001-ac.jpg?h=53deb655&itok=Raq0eT62)
Interview with Rwandan Genocide Survivor Jacqueline Murekatete
Jacqueline Murekatete details her unlikely survival during the Rwandan genocide, and why sharing survivor testimony is critical to genocide prevention.
![Jacqueline Murekatete speaking into a microphone](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2024-04/JM4.jpg?h=76931a7c&itok=eh4h25ma)
Allyship in the Classroom: Trans Awareness Week
Trans Awareness Week and Trans Remembrance Day represent an opportunity for teachers to consider how to create an affirming classroom for trans students.
![Supporters at London Trans Pride 2022.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-11/1.jpg?h=57024e64&itok=6nVg82dT)
The Long Struggle for Indigenous Peoples' Day
For generations the stories of Indigenous Peoples have been sidelined and misrepresented. Indigenous Peoples' Day makes space for this vital history.
![2017 Indigenous Peoples March](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-10/2017_Indigenous_Peoples_March.jpg?h=13cefaf9&itok=d0nPBDfj)
Between Two Worlds: An Iranian American’s Perspective on History, Identity, and Hope
From losing the Iran they knew to revolution in 1979 to watching the current revolution from afar, a friend of Facing History shares her family's story.
!["Free Iran" sign and Iranian flags at Iranian human rights rally - Sacramento, CA](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/IMG_3440.jpg?h=c0bd333e&itok=Ch4QD4sk)
George Takei on Standing Up to Racism, Then and Now
George Takei speaks to the Facing History community about his childhood experience in an incarceration camp and anti-Asian racism on the rise today.
![A black and white photo of George Takei](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/George%20Takei%20_v2.png?h=9a1378d6&itok=sRJKlDnn)
Centering Queer History and Students in the Classroom: Insights from Eric Marcus
Eric Marcus speaks with Facing History about his experience researching LGBTQIA+ history and how he helps students connect to these stories.
![Students hold a pride flag](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/Diverse_Students_With_Pride_Flag_Stock_FH2187533.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=j7XSTcPX)
Celebrating Our Communities, Languages and Cultures on World Poetry Day (UK)
On World Poetry Day we are highlighting UK poets who use poetry to represent their communities, promote their cultures and respond to current events.
![A close up of a student writing on a piece of paper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/LosAngeles_ClassroomImage_2012_FH116207.jpg?h=9a556404&itok=SXiHI4Fc)
Remembering Judy Heumann and Honoring Her Legacy
Facing History’s David Levy recalls learning about Judy Heumann and how she inspired his own advocacy for disability rights.
![A headshot of Judy Heumann, a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing red glasses, a blue v-neck shirt, and a gold necklace. She is smiling warmly.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/Judy_Headshot_0.jpg?h=38f9b4ca&itok=IxgQlFzi)
Women's Suffrage at 100: The Key Role of Black Sororities
Dr. Tara White illuminates the role Black sorority sisters like Mary Church Terrell played in securing women’s suffrage in the United States.
![Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated was founded on January 13, 1913, by 22 collegiate women at Howard University to promote academic excellence and provide assistance to those in need. The Founders of Delta Sigma Theta envisioned an organization committed to sisterhood, scholarship, service, and addressing the social issues of the time. Since its founding, Delta Sigma Theta has become one of the preeminent service-based sororities, with more than 300,000 initiated members and over 1,000 chartered chapt](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/Deltasigmathetafounders_Website.jpg?h=c58e89ab&itok=8iGww4AH)
Literature and Identity: Our Team’s Book Recommendations on World Book Day
This World Book Day we spoke to the staff at Facing History to find out which books had a profound effect on them as young adults.
![House On Mango Street book cover.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-02/House_On_Mango_Street_FH2188156.jpg?h=a1bf1f1e&itok=yDhFk755)