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.
More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories
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.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Antlers_2021_poster.jpeg?h=aff6c105&itok=7m2YY2cJ)
The Problem of Archival Silences
Archives play a central role in shaping our perceptions of the past. It is vital that we ask critical questions about what a given archive may exclude, for what purposes it was assembled, and what this means about the stories it enables historians to tell.
![A book with worn blank pages sits open-faced.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/ArchivalSilences_Large.jpg?h=8e4088dc&itok=nsjEvQ59)
Facing History From Day One: An Interview with New Haven Academy
New Haven Academy is an innovative public high school that serves a diverse student population. In this interview, the school's founders discuss the vital role that Facing History has played in shaping their distinctive school culture, curriculum, and pedagogy.
![New Haven Academy school entrance.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/NewHavenAcademy.jpg?h=a47ca1c4&itok=h2iBPAYT)
Exploring Audre Lorde’s Intersectionality
Audre Lorde was a Black lesbian scholar, feminist, mother, and poet who challenged us to think about the intersectionality of politics and identity.
![A headshot of Audre Lorde taken in 1980; her finger rests on her chin, and she is looking down](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-09/Audre%20Lorde.jpg?h=e9403ca4&itok=ckSP80ub)
LA Upstander: SAMEAN Voices
Each week, SAMEAN Voices consistently builds engaging and interactive curriculum, facilitating vulnerable and transformative dialogues for their peers. While SAMEAN Voices presents from an AMEMSA experience, they are open to all students and staff and their meetings have a high multiracial and multiethnic attendance.
![Picture of SAMEAN Board.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SAMEAN%20Board%202020-2021.png?h=125a58ae&itok=HlD8tBHT)
LA Upstander: Hailey C.
Hailey has been a prominent voice in our weekly Upstander meetings regardless of the topic. She has advocated for us to support people experiencing homelessness through various means.
![Picture of Hailey C.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Hailey%20C..jpg?h=6f07e6cc&itok=r68hdYZl)
LA Upstander: Sanaia W.
Sanaia stands out because she has stood up as a leader and as a beacon of positivity in her grade level.
![A selfie of student Sanaia.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SanaiaW.jpg?h=de2e6114&itok=zbWrESSA)
LA Upstander: Heydy V.
Heydy participated in a youth leadership workshop for I Learn America (ILA), a project that brings students together to tell their stories of migration.
![Picture of Heydy V.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Heydy.png?h=260cdf12&itok=dKNsskdj)
LA Upstander: Itzel J.
Itzel J. is someone who has learned how to advocate for her needs, support her classmates through their own struggles by offering advice, all while having such a positive attitude at our school.
![Picture of Itzel J.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Itzel%20J..jpeg?h=211c8216&itok=nbSmcs0_)
LA Upstander: Michelle Lebron V.
Michelle has been an ally for LGBTQIA+ friends at our school. She has shared how she offered support for a student who wanted to come out as gay.
![Cartoon picture.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/MLV%20Art%20%281%29.png?h=fe61d327&itok=tvSzbSND)
LA Upstander: Angie G.
Angie is extremely hardworking but she also shows her abilities to be an Upstander in the classroom and for our school during these unprecedented times of distance learning.
![Picture of Angie G.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Angie.png?h=601361f1&itok=Ui4i4A7N)