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 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

Insight

by Julie Halterman

Jan 6, 2022

The January 6 insurrection remains important to understand and discuss, as well as the larger questions it raises about the state of U.S. democracy. A recent poll found that 52% of young people between 18 and 29 believe that either U.S. democracy is "in trouble" or "failed," while only 7% agree that it is "healthy," further highlighting the need to teach students about democratic institutions.

Black and white photo of the US State House

Insight

by Kaitlin Smith

Feb 22, 2022

Some members of the Facing History staff are exploring these five new books published within the last year, and we invite you to explore them alongside us and share your reactions with us. These 5 titles cover essential topics from Black history with young audiences and address contemporary experiences of young Black people.

Cover for the book: Ain't All Burned the Bright

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 Karen Murphy

Jan 28, 2022

After 25 years of distinguished service to our organization, Dr. Karen Murphy, Facing History’s Director of International Strategy, will join our partner organization High Resolves as CEO of an initiative called The Human Responsibility Accelerator. In this article, we invited Karen to share a bit of what she has learned in more than two decades at Facing History.

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 Kaitlin Smith

Jan 27, 2022

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is Thursday, January 27th. This is a day when we remember the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, their loved ones, and the ways in which this incalculable tragedy has transformed our world. It is also a time for educators to ensure their readiness to integrate instruction on the Holocaust into their annual teaching plans.

An image of a Samuel Bak Painting Man Reading by Giant Spoon

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

Feb 15, 2022

These titles cover themes in Black history that are closely connected to the themes of our educator resources including the significant roles of Black people in the construction of the U.S. and the implications of decisions to memorialize (or not memorialize) those events.

Book cover images of The South and Black Hands, White House

Insight

by Facing History & Ourselves

Feb 11, 2022

One way to deepen our understanding of voting rights is to consider the experiences of people who have been disenfranchised over the course of our nation’s history and into the present. The Black community is one that has faced immense barriers to voting, both in the distant past and even into the present.

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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…

What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

January 6th

COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

Teaching about the January 6 Insurrection and its Impact on U.S. Democracy

5 New YA Books on Black History and Life

Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming

What I've Learned Along the Way

Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide

7 Classroom Resources on the Holocaust

African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"

5 New Books on Black History

Suffrage Matters: 7 Reads on Black Voting Rights and Activism

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…

What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

January 6th

COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights

Teaching about the January 6 Insurrection and its Impact on U.S. Democracy

5 New YA Books on Black History and Life

Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming

What I've Learned Along the Way

Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide

7 Classroom Resources on the Holocaust

African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"

5 New Books on Black History

Suffrage Matters: 7 Reads on Black Voting Rights and Activism

Inspiration, insights, & ways to get involved