6 New Books on Human Rights
Below are 6 books published in 2021 that speak to underacknowledged dimensions of human rights in history, teaching, and contemporary global society.
![The words, "human rights" are highlighted within a text.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/istock-178100128_human_rights_text.png?h=a6c55029&itok=rh8-tcu0)
5 New YA Books on Women's History
Facing History provides a list of five YA titles that have been released in the last year that make important themes in women’s history and contemporary life accessible to young readers.
![Patriotic Graphic with Banner that reads Good Girls Don't Make History](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Good_girls_dont_make_history_graphic.jpeg?h=a3f48866&itok=PmROzEKj)
COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/photo_earth_from_space.jpeg?h=a8d93925&itok=dhi2SXIm)
Competing Visions of Black Civic Participation
The approaches that Black leaders have embraced across space and time are numerous and have encompassed assimilationist and integrationist conceptions of social change, alongside contrasting approaches rooted in Black self-determination and nationalism.
![Photo of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Talking](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/MartinLutherKing_MalcolmX_talking_photo.jpeg?h=1cd998b4&itok=24p0LYIf)
Remembering Sidney Poitier
In January, the nation stood still as we learned that renowned actor Sidney Poitier passed away at 94 years old. Poitier was both an actor and an activist—and despite a mixed array of perspectives over the years on the ways that he represented Black people in film—he undoubtedly played a leading role in African Americans’ fight for civil rights and more positive media representations from the silver screen to the streets.
![Sidney Poitier 1968 Portrait Photo](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Sidney_Poitier_1968_Portrait_Photo.jpeg?h=9582604b&itok=SRzDQdJX)
5 New YA Books on Black History and Life
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/aint_burned_all_the_bright_book_cover.jpeg?h=2ce16ca3&itok=EOMN4a3M)
Black Athletes and Civil Rights: 6 Upstanders to Introduce to Your Students
Beyond the 1988 Jamaican Bobsled Team immortalized in the film Cool Runnings, Black athletes have played more central roles at the Winter Olympics than many people might realize. As we cheer on the 2022 Black Olympians, Black History Month is a great time to look back on the impact that Black Olympians and other Black athletes have beyond the world of sports.
![Portrait photo of boxing champion Jack Johnson in b&w](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Jack_Johnson_portrait_photo_b%26w.jpeg?h=b388cfb8&itok=faMo6l1d)
African Americans and the History of "Human Rights"
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.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/Fist_raised_Olympics_1968public_domain.jpeg?h=96687ce6&itok=yaBd2oCU)
5 New Books on Black History
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](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/south_black_hands_book_covers.jpeg?h=cabca9e9&itok=Jexh0Mbc)
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)
Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming
Facing History offers an overview and guide for Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, an ideal book to teach in the middle school classroom.
![The Book Cover of Brown Girl Dreaming.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/brown_girl_dreaming_cover_graphic.jpeg?h=d7fada95&itok=N_RjYI_j)
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)