Connecting History and Today

We believe the bigotry and hate that we witness today are the legacy of brutal injustices of the past. We help teachers and students face our collective histories and understand how they inform attitudes and behaviors in today's world.

History is Not Inevitable

Facing History students examine pivotal moments in history and learn how the choices made in the past have shaped our present. Our students come to understand that history is not inevitable: people make choices and choices make history.

The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do.

— James Baldwin

Current Events in Your Classroom

We provide the tools and resources for teachers and their students to place current events in a historical context. This approach helps students make sense of the world around them and become informed and active participants in a democracy.

Learn more about how current events discussions help students learn. Or, dive into our Collection of current events classroom resources.

"If a society, if a state, doesn’t acknowledge its wrongdoing in the past, this means there is a potential there, always, that it can do it again."

Taner Akçam, Historian

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Taner Akçam: Why is the Armenian Genocide Important?

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Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Jan 26, 2022

Research released by the Claims Conference found that 49% of U.S. millennials and generation Z have seen Holocaust denial or distortion content online—and that one in five U.S. millennials and generation Z surveyed in New York believe that Jews caused the Holocaust. This toxic combination of ignorance allied with antisemitic hatred continue to permeate global consciousness, and teachers have an important part to play in turning the tide.

Auschwitz photos taken of imprisoned children

Insight

by Roger Brooks

Jan 17, 2022

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

Insight

by Julie Halterman

Jan 19, 2022

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

Impact Story

by Kaitlin Smith

Jan 13, 2022

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.

Insight

by Adam Strom

Apr 16, 2015

Facing History shares a list of key components for a reflective classroom and provides educators with a number of resources to guide them in building their own.

Gregory Peck (left) and Brock Peters in a pivotal scene from the 1962 film "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Mar 15, 2022

The January 6th investigation has deepened widespread concerns about rising threats of fascism, racism, white nationalism, and other phenomena that undermine justice for all. But in analyses that focus primarily on the role of white nationalism fomented within media echo chambers, for example, commentators have overlooked what may be a more pervasive parallel phenomenon: the widespread crisis of faith in U.S. media and institutions at large.

Photo of Two People Watching the News on TV

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Dec 19, 2021

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

Impact Story

by Kaitlin Smith

Dec 10, 2021

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.

Impact Story

by Kaitlin Smith

Dec 7, 2021

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.

Impact Story

by Kaitlin Smith

Nov 30, 2021

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.

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Jan 31, 2022

Facing History offers an overview and guide for Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, an ideal book to teach in the middle school classroom.

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Feb 9, 2022

Below is a curated list of classroom resources and educator-relevant events available from Facing History’s peer and partner organizations across the education space this month and beyond.

Black Soldier Reading on Truck photo in b&w

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Connecting History and Today

History is Not Inevitable

Current Events in Your Classroom

Donate now and together we'll build a better world

You might also be interested in…

Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide

Facing History on Martin Luther King Day: A message to our educators

9 Resources for Teaching about MLK's Legacy

bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress

What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

January 6th

COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"

13 Teaching Ideas on Human Rights

More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories

Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming

Deep Dive into Black History: 13 Events + Resources for Educators

Connecting History and Today

History is Not Inevitable

Current Events in Your Classroom

Attend an Event

Donate now and together we'll build a better world

You might also be interested in…

Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide

Facing History on Martin Luther King Day: A message to our educators

9 Resources for Teaching about MLK's Legacy

bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress

What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

January 6th

COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"

13 Teaching Ideas on Human Rights

More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories

Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming

Deep Dive into Black History: 13 Events + Resources for Educators

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