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Upstander

Discover what it means to be an Upstander.

/ʌpstandə/ noun
A person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause, particularly someone who intervenes on behalf of a person being attacked or bullied.

We believe every student can become an upstander, whether by challenging negative stereotypes with family, standing up to a bully in their school, or encouraging civil discourse when neighbors disagree. Students in Facing History classrooms learn about the power of individual choices to shape history and explore how each of us can participate as citizens to create a more humane, just and compassionate world. With the readings and resources collected below, we invite you and your students to discover what it means to be an Upstander.

Cartoon of speaker and audience.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Reading

Learn about some responses to school bullying and reflect on the power students have to make positive changes in their own school communities.

Diverse hands reaching to sun.

In the News

by Kaitlin Smith

Jun 12, 2020

Marti Tippens Murphy, Executive Director of Facing History & Ourselves Memphis, recently reflected upon the nature of upstanding and what it demands of us in these times in The Daily Memphian.

The word "FEAR" is being erased from a blackboard.

Impact Story

by Megan Barney

Nov 1, 2020

Learn about organizations run by young upstanders who advocate for young poll worker participation.

Ballot submission.

Impact Story

by Stacey Perman

Mar 16, 2016

Here are three inspiring stories of young women who we have no doubt will be history-makers of the future. How do we know? Read about how they are already upstanders in their communities.

A number of hands are brought into the center of the picture and stacked on one another.

Video

Students at a California elementary school learn about the impact of bullying and lead a cross-grade project to create a more inclusive and welcoming school community.

Impact Story

by Clare L., Ohio

Jan 24, 2018

A student describes the impact of her “Dangers of Indifference” course on her worldview and how it connects with the tenets of her faith.

A close up of a marble statue with hands clasped together.

Video

Follow three people who credit their upstander behavior to the impact of one survivor’s story. The experience of Dr. Anna Ornstein, Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz, child psychiatrist, and author, has impacted choices of students since the 1970s.

Profile

Learn about the ordinary citizens who volunteered to fight the yellow fever outbreak in 1878.

Three nuns are featured on the Memphis Upstanders Mural, a painting on a brick building in Memphis, TN.

Reading

Learn about a young Muslim who is working to combat antisemitism and xenophobia in his native Sweden.

Students participate in a group activity.

Video

Ervin Staub discusses the importance of helping young people develop moral courage.

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Impact Story

by Jen Langley

Apr 22, 2022

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.

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Sep 9, 2021

Facing History shares on the importance of having Black teachers in the classroom.

Teacher helping a male pupil studying at a desk in classroom stock

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Apr 20, 2022

Earth Day grants educators the opportunity to consider the ecological issues facing the planet and the unique ways that they are impacting the young people in their classrooms, which both elevates youth activism surrounding the issue and provides a healthy environment to process "ecological grief."

Earth is our home cardboard sign on grass.

Insight

by Julie Halterman

Apr 19, 2022

In response to the rise of legislation targeting transgender people, Facing History provides resources for educators to build an affirming, welcoming class community for your students, especially trans and non-binary students.

Pink and blue chalk with transgender symbol stock photo.

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Sep 8, 2021

Facing History commemorates the life of activist and Freedom Rider Ernest "Rip" Patton, Jr.

Ernest "Rip" Patton, Jr. holding a picture of himself during a visit to the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Mar 4, 2022

Facing History invites teachers to take a deeper dive into the histories and experiences of women around the nation in work with their students.

Mary Church Terrell in chair black and white photo

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Mar 2, 2022

Facing History invites educators to check out the following 5 classroom resources that offer a look at women making history in various contexts and/or contemporary experiences and contributions within various domains.

Women's History Month Graphic

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Feb 28, 2022

The approaches that Black leaders have embraced across space and time are numerous and have encompassed assimilationist and integrationist conceptions of social change, alongside contrasting approaches rooted in Black self-determination and nationalism.

Photo of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Talking

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Feb 25, 2022

In January, the nation stood still as we learned that renowned actor Sidney Poitier passed away at 94 years old. Poitier was both an actor and an activist—and despite a mixed array of perspectives over the years on the ways that he represented Black people in film—he undoubtedly played a leading role in African Americans’ fight for civil rights and more positive media representations from the silver screen to the streets.

Sidney Poitier 1968 Portrait Photo

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Mar 18, 2022

Facing History provides a list of five YA titles that have been released in the last year that make important themes in women’s history and contemporary life accessible to young readers.

Patriotic Graphic with Banner that reads Good Girls Don't Make History

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Mar 17, 2022

Facing History shares five books that have been released in the last year that address important themes in women’s history.

Book Cover of Woman: The American History of an Idea

Insight

by Facing History & Ourselves

Mar 14, 2022

Explore resources that offer additional points of entry that educators can use to situate the Ukrainian refugee crisis in broader global histories of displacement and highlight its connections to other refugee crises unfolding around the globe.

The definition of refugee spotlighted on a page

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