Connecting History and Today | Facing History & Ourselves

Search

  • Everything
  • Teaching Resources
  • Upcoming Events
  • On-demand Events
  • Articles
Give
Sign Up Log In

Search

  • Everything
  • Teaching Resources
  • Upcoming Events
  • On-demand Events
  • Articles
Give
Sign Up Log In

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

Watch

Taner Akçam: Why is the Armenian Genocide Important?
A high school student is standing up and speaking in an auditorium filled with people

Attend an Event

Outstanding learning opportunities. Thought-provoking conversations. Inspiring stories from students and teachers. Join us for an upcoming event and experience the power of Facing History. 

See Upcoming Events

You might also be interested in…

Professional Learning

Educating Adolescents at the Intersection of Social-Emotional Learning, Civics, Equity, and Academics

On-Demand

Virtual
In this webinar, we shared how Facing History works at the intersection of social-emotional learning and academics, informed by civic engagement and equity and justice. We provided resources and strategies for you to consider integrating these four elements in your school or classroom.
Two students discuss and look at a paper
Professional Learning

Facing Hate: A Global Conspiracy with Local Manifestations

On-Demand

Virtual
Conspiracy theories provide simple and misleading explanations for complex human dilemmas. We must learn to recognize the antisemitism that fuels some of today’s most destructive conspiracy theories so we can help our students stand up against these pervasive and dangerous messages.
Thousands of people participate in No Hate, No Fear Jewish Solidarity March in response to anti-semitic attacks in and around city across Brooklyn Bridge
Professional Learning

Coming of Age in Literature and Life: A Webinar Featuring Young Adult Author Jennifer De Leon

On-Demand

Virtual
Explore questions of identity and belonging in literature and life and learn how you can center students' identities and experiences through literature and dialogue.
Jennifer De Leon
Professional Learning

Fostering Civil Discourse in the (Remote) Classroom

On-Demand

Virtual
Explore ways to critically examine your identity as an educator, examine teaching strategies to build community and trust, and share methods to facilitate reflective conversations.
Professional Learning

Fostering Civil Discourse: Teaching Kids to Respectfully Disagree

On-Demand

Virtual
Learn strategies to support your students to develop effective skills for civic participation.
Image of students sitting in a circle at desks
Professional Learning

George Takei: Standing Up to Racism, Then and Now

On-Demand

Virtual
Actor and activist George Takei discusses his family’s wrongful incarceration during WWII, and the anti-Asian racism on the rise today.
Professional Learning

Holocaust Memorial Day in the Classroom

On-Demand

Virtual
This webinar provides ideas, inspiration, and resources to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Large stones, with plants sprouting from them, on the balcony of a building.
Professional Learning

Facing the Past, Building a Shared Future

On-Demand

Virtual
Scholar Karlos K. Hill discusses the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and the lessons this history offers. This is a recording of session three of the 2021 Global Summit.
A map of the world interposed over photos of students and educators
Professional Learning

The Problems and Potentials of Poetry as Witness

On-Demand

Virtual
Poet Pádraig Ó Tuama leads a discussion about the role of poetry in offering public language. This is a recording of session four of the 2021 Global Summit.
A map of the world interposed over photos of students and educators
Professional Learning

Commemorating the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with Dr. Karlos K. Hill

On-Demand

Virtual
Listen to a conversation with Dr. Karlos K. Hill on the Tulsa Race Massacre's enduring legacy of resilience.
Burning buildings during the Tulsa Race Massacre, also called Tulsa Race Riot, when a white mob attacked the predominantly African American Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Professional Learning

Teaching Coming of Age: Exploring Literature and Agency with #DisruptTexts Co-founder Dr. Kimberly Parker

On-Demand

Virtual
Explore the process of choosing texts with a focus on equity and voice, as well as creating classroom spaces for exploring literature through a critical and ethical lens.
Students write at their desks.
More Like This Why Facing History Get Involved