Facing History and Ourselves

Facing History and Ourselves is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 that develops teaching materials and professional development to address racism, antisemitism, and prejudice through historical case studies. The organization connects classroom study of the Holocaust, Jim Crow laws, Civil Rights Movement, and Rwandan Genocide with contemporary civic engagement, drawing on sources associated with Anne Frank, Elie Wiesel, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela to foster ethical decision-making. Working with schools and teachers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, it has collaborated with institutions such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem, Museum of Tolerance, Holocaust Educational Trust, and universities including Harvard University, Columbia University, and Stanford University.

History

Facing History and Ourselves was established in 1976 by educators influenced by postwar memory of the Holocaust and civil rights struggles like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Freedom Summer. Early curricula integrated primary sources from archives such as the Library of Congress, collections relating to Anne Frank, and testimony archived by the Shoah Foundation. Through the 1980s and 1990s the organization expanded its scope to include comparative case studies of mass violence, referencing events such as the Armenian Genocide, the Nanjing Massacre, and the Bosnian Genocide, and partnered with teacher-training programs at institutions like Teachers College, Columbia University and the University of Oxford. In the 2000s Facing History extended its international footprint with offices and programs linked to the British Council and Canadian provincial ministries, and later adapted resources addressing contemporary crises such as the Syrian Civil War and episodes involving Charleston church shooting and Trayvon Martin.

Mission and Educational Approach

The organization’s stated mission emphasizes ethical reflection and civic responsibility by studying historical instances including the Holocaust, the Transatlantic slave trade, and the Japanese American internment to illuminate processes of exclusion and violence. Its pedagogical model draws on methodologies from scholars and institutions like Eli Wiesel, Hannah Arendt, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and the National Council for the Social Studies, employing case-based inquiry, primary-source analysis from archives such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem, and reflective discussions modeled after practices in programs at Oxford University and Harvard University. Facing History frames classroom work around moral dilemmas comparable to those explored in texts by Primo Levi, Victor Frankl, George Orwell, and Anne Frank to connect historical knowledge with contemporary civic choices.

Programs and Curriculum

Facing History offers curricular units and professional development centered on units like "The Holocaust and Human Behavior", comparative modules engaging the Rwandan Genocide, the Cambodian genocide, and the Armenian Genocide, and contemporary units addressing hate crimes and identity informed by events such as the Charleston church shooting and the 2017 Unite the Right rally. Materials incorporate writings by Elie Wiesel, speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., courtroom records from trials such as the Nuremberg Trials and the Eichmann trial, and digital archives from partners including the Shoah Foundation and the Museum of Tolerance. The organization runs teacher institutes and workshops in collaboration with school districts, state education departments like the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, cultural institutions including the British Museum and the Imperial War Museums, and philanthropic partners such as the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

Impact and Reception

Facing History's programs have been adopted by thousands of schools and cited in evaluations by organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. Independent studies published in journals associated with Harvard Education Press and research centers like the RAND Corporation and the Brookings Institution have assessed effects on student empathy, civic engagement, and historical understanding, with mixed but generally positive findings. The organization has received recognition from bodies including the National Endowment for the Humanities and awards comparable to honors given by the American Historical Association, while also attracting critique from commentators linked to debates over curriculum standards in states like Texas and controversies involving contested memory in contexts such as debates over Confederate monuments and Holocaust denial. Partnerships with institutions such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and controversies tied to political disputes over pedagogy have shaped public reception.

Funding and Governance

Facing History operates as a nonprofit governed by a board that has included leaders from academia, philanthropy, and cultural institutions such as Harvard University, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and the United Nations educational initiatives. Its revenue streams include philanthropic grants from foundations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation, government grants from agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education, and fee-based services to school districts and teacher-training contracts. Financial oversight and program audits have been subject to nonprofit standards similar to those promoted by Charity Navigator and reporting used by organizations such as GuideStar, and governance practices reflect norms advocated by entities like the Council on Foundations.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States