Ideas This Week
Ideas This Week is your hub for updates on all things Facing History—from announcements and featured press to expert interviews, impact stories, and essays on the ideas driving our work.
George Takei on Standing Up to Racism, Then and Now
George Takei speaks to the Facing History community about his childhood experience in an incarceration camp and anti-Asian racism on the rise today.
![A black and white photo of George Takei](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/George%20Takei%20_v2.png?h=9a1378d6&itok=sRJKlDnn)
How One Lesbian Couple Defied the Nazis: An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Jackson
Meet Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe (better known as Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore), a French lesbian couple who defied the Nazis with art.
![Dr. Jeffrey Jackson and his book, Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-03/image%20%282%29.jpg?h=1bdf24e3&itok=7Enx4K9t)
Holocaust Education Amid Rising Antisemitism: An Interview with Leslie White
Following an antisemetic incident involving high school students, educator Leslie White shared lessons from the Holocaust and helped turn a terrible decision into an opportunity for activism and personal growth.
![Black and white image of Auschwitz Birkenau Gate.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/Auschwitz_Birkenau_Gate_FH2185326.jpg?h=2e5cdddf&itok=GJ20H_H6)
Why We Remember Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) (UK)
Kristallnacht is a stark reminder of the violence that can occur when antisemitism is left unchallenged.
![Torn apart shelves and damage in the department store Uhlfelder in Munich during Kristallnacht.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-12/Bundesarchiv_Bild_119-2671-07%2C_Mu%CC%88nchen%2C_Kaufhaus_Uhlfelder%2C_Zersto%CC%88rungen.jpg?h=0429cc9e&itok=x4NOC_DW)
Turning Point: the Anniversary of Kristallnacht and Why We Remember
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) is a violent moment in history that demonstrates the consequences of both targeted hate and passivity from bystanders.
![Picture of Jewish Merchants Remove Traces Of The Pogrom Of The Night (Kristallnacht).](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/Le_Me%CC%81morial_aux_juifs_assassine%CC%81s_dEurope_%28Berlin%29_%282704805986%29.jpg?h=7627bb82&itok=2XwC0-22)
Responding to Antisemitism in the Classroom
Use these tools to help students understand the impact of antisemitism and stand up against hate.
![Picture of Star Of David.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/Star%20Gate.png?h=27090159&itok=C9iceYGb)
Remembering Grace Lee Boggs
The story of Chinese American activist and philosopher, Grace Lee Boggs, provides an inspiring example of the effectiveness of cross-racial organizing work between Black and Asian communities in pursuing racial justice by discovering shared stakes, committing to collective action, and nurturing ongoing resistance.
![Grace Lee Boggs.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Grace_Lee_Boggs_2012.jpeg?h=4c5c077f&itok=4q_QLFmO)
Deep Dive into Black History: 12 Events + Resources for Educators
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/black_soldier_reading_on_truck_b%26w_photo.png?h=a6c55029&itok=LH_UL_Yi)
7 Classroom Resources on the Holocaust
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/sameul_bak_painting_FH2ORD7891.jpg?h=bf0d9a15&itok=CT_zN84y)
Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/holocaust_auschwitz_photos_of_children_imprisoned.png?h=a6c55029&itok=zvFo4qM3)
bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress
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.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/bellhooks.jpeg?itok=jpRETw0k)