COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights
The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that took place in Glasgow, Scotland from October to November 2021 was, in many ways, a historic event. However, even though the COP remains a crucial space for international cooperation in the fight against climate disaster, there is notable consternation over the unique burdens that various policies may place on poorer nations and those most vulnerable to adverse climate events.
![Photo of Earth and African continent from space](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/photo_earth_from_space.jpeg?h=a8d93925&itok=dhi2SXIm)
Facing History on Martin Luther King Day: A message to our educators
Martin Luther King Day is a moment for reflection and service; for considering the life and legacy of an extraordinary individual; and for recommitting ourselves to the unfinished work he championed. At a time of extraordinary bigotry and violence, Dr. King challenged all Americans to confront our history of racial discrimination, to open our eyes to injustice, and to be intentional about building a better future.
![B&W photo of Martin Luther King Junior giving a speech](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/martin_luther_king_jr_speech_b%26w.jpeg?h=243ab64f&itok=KywjX2nD)
9 Resources for Teaching about MLK's Legacy
Here are 9 Facing History resources that can help you reflect on your own teaching practices, teach the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and explore contemporary issues around racial justice and democracy in the United States.
![Black and white photo of MLK and Mathew Ahmann in a Crowd](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Civil_Rights_March_MLK_Mathew_Ahmann_crowd.jpeg?h=c652c7b1&itok=wD55zs-I)
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)
Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming
Facing History offers an overview and guide for Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, an ideal book to teach in the middle school classroom.
![The Book Cover of Brown Girl Dreaming.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/brown_girl_dreaming_cover_graphic.jpeg?h=d7fada95&itok=N_RjYI_j)
18 Teacher Resources on Native American History and Culture
Below are 18 resources that middle and high school teachers can turn to when developing lesson plans related to the roles of Native American peoples in American history and contemporary life. These resources include online exhibitions at the Smithsonian; the Smithsonian’s Native Knowledge 360° Educational Initiative; the work of the Mitchell and Hood Museums; and the growing work of Facing History in these thematic areas.
![Three members of the Sioux tribe pose in Indian Village, 1898.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Black%20Foot-Standing-Bear_Big_Eagle_Sioux_ca_1898.jpg?h=26ac82e5&itok=5rYHkhl2)
Acclaimed Educator Frank Stebbins on Facing History and Human Rights Education
In this interview with educator Frank Stebbins, we discuss resources and strategies for teaching difficult lessons around the Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
![Picture of Frank Stebbins Receiving an Educator Award.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-12/StebbinsAward-1.jpeg?h=7a11922f&itok=aVV7PQBu)
How Can Music Inspire Social Change?
This blog explores the connections between music, history, and social change. Within this blog, educators are provided with a lesson that can be used with students to contemplate the role of music as a social change agent.
![The Staple Singers sit with the owners of Stax Records, Al Bell and Jim Stewart, in Memphis, TN. Photo courtesy of Stax Museum of American Soul Music.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/2_al_jim_staples.jpeg?h=cdfb2dc1&itok=keTFSL6P)
Common Ground Revisited
Learn about the play Common Ground Revisited, which explores various ways that key historical actors may have experienced the 1970s school desegregation in Boston and the different ways that contemporary Bostonians relate to these historical events.
![Busing Information Phone Bank; City of Boston Mayor's Office in September 1974.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/Busing_Information_Phone%20Bank_City_Boston_Mayors_Office_September_1974.jpeg?h=18da7b47&itok=et7KRWL8)
Bringing the “Beloved Community” Into The Classroom
In this article, our Chief Officer for Equity & Inclusion, Dr. Steven Becton suggests 5 key practices for bringing the “Beloved Community” into the classroom.
![Demonstrators peacefully protest in front of police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest. One protester takes a knee in front of the officers.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-01/gayatri-malhotra-2Qo7EEokcFU-unsplash.jpg?h=2d9e0ed8&itok=QiHU21v2)
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)