Facing History & Ourselves Civic Knowledge Research Project
This guide provides prompts and strategies for the written Research Project component of New York State’s Seal of Civic Readiness.
![High school students writing in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/_O5A1295_0.jpg?h=b69e0e0e&itok=FK45gLAF)
Creating a Shared Identity for a Democratic South Africa
Former Minister of Justice Dr. A. M. Omar addresses South Africa’s struggle to achieve a single national identity considering the country’s inherent diversity and its legacy of apartheid.
![A family dressed in traditional Afrikaner clothing pose during a holiday celebration commemorating ‘the Battle of Blood River,’ on December 16, 2003 in Orania, Northern Cape province, South Africa.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/2003_AllWhiteCommunityinSouthAfricaHoldsOntoItsPast_FH281929.jpg?h=327453ef&itok=xYMYt6md)
The Equality Clause: Gay Rights and the Constitution
Marian Drew writes about the strides taken by South African members of the LGBTQIA+ community in earning additional rights after their inclusion in the South African Constitution.
![People gather downtown for pride parade in Cape Town, South Africa.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/2022_GayPrideParadeCapeTownSouthAfrica_FH2169992.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=z0b03Pjh)
The Housing Clause in the South African Bill of Rights: The Continuing Struggle
Confront South Africa’s ongoing housing crisis through the words of Shamiela Fataar, a homeless black South African single mother, and AbM, a grassroots organization working for housing rights.
![A young girl walks home in Khayelitsha, South Africa after heavy rainfalls.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2016_WinterFloodsAffectInformalSettlementDwellersinSouthAfrica_FH281940.jpg?h=a5f2f23a&itok=tztQ-8DZ)
Overcoming the Past and Becoming a Single Nation
South African writer and poet Antjie Krog explores democracy and change through a narrative about a common sporting event that gives voice to both white and black South Africans.
![Athletes running on a track.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/2017_TrackandFieldathletesrunning_FH2170326.jpg?h=e6889cd6&itok=VbG7QlFn)
The South African Constitution
Review the preamble and bill of rights of South Africa’s 1996 Constitution, a collaborative document that contains considerable protections on civil rights.
![The signing of the Republic of South Africa's Constitution in May 1996.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/1996_SigningoftheSouthAfricanConstitution_FH281937.jpg?h=c4482f5d&itok=pkPRL5nQ)
South Africa's First Nonracial Democratic Election
South African poet and activist Mazisi Kunene reflects on his experience voting in South Africa’s first non-racial democratic election in 1994.
![Mazisi Kunene (1930-2006), a South African poet.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2018_MazisiKunene_FH281933.jpg?h=63ec7df1&itok=w1QGoxBz)
The TRC: A Need for a Moral Bottom Line
Bishop Frank Retief shares his concern about the ineffectiveness of the TRC in achieving justice for victims of apartheid and reconciling South Africa in a 1998 interview.
![A child pushes a trolley cart through burnt debris.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2008_AftermathoftheRamaphosaRiots_FH281928.jpg?h=a5f2f23a&itok=L3gio3La)
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Read excerpts from the testimonies of Nomonde Calata, widow of political leader Fort Calata, and Johan van Zyl, the officer who oversaw Calata’s murder, during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
![Nomonde Calata reads the newspaper.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/1997_NomondeCalataReadsNewspaper_FH281934.jpg?h=ad518777&itok=ZP4SrHg4)
Five Facts about Honduras and Immigration
Explore key findings about Honduran immigration, including the recent wave of minors seeking asylum.
![Immigrant women and children wait to enter the bus station.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2018_ImmigrantsinTexas_FH289810.jpg?h=6834cfb5&itok=lxF7ZoED)
Foreigners in the Their Own Land (1565-1880)
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Part one of Latino Americans, this film shows how conquest, shifting borders and dispossession shaped Hispano culture and identity in former Mexican territories of the Southwestern United States.
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