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)
What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
Facing History shares a list of key components for a reflective classroom and provides educators with a number of resources to guide them in building their own.
![Gregory Peck (left) and Brock Peters in a pivotal scene from the 1962 film "To Kill a Mockingbird."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/atticus_and_tom_robinson_in_court.gif?h=fa747474&itok=gA60t0Vr)
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)
The Power of Native Language Revitalization
Learn about the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, one of many grassroots efforts dedicated to healing the lasting wounds inflicted by residential schools and cultural genocide of Native peoples.
![Still of jessie baird from We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân (Makepeace Productions, 2011).](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/still_jessie_baird_we_stil_live_here_as_nutayunean_makepeace_productions_2011.jpeg?h=7843b95a&itok=hO0bfEUt)
7 Must-See Films on Native American History and Life
The seven documentaries series listed below cover wide-ranging subject matter including Native American peoples’ roles within and perspectives about the film medium, the women’s rights movement, K-12 education, political leadership, literary arts, musical performance, and language protection efforts.
![A portion of the Without a Whisper documentary film poster.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/without_whisper_film_poster.jpeg?h=e2256408&itok=3Pm57673)
5 New Books on Women's History for 2022
Facing History shares five books that have been released in the last year that address important themes in women’s history.
![Book Cover of Woman: The American History of an Idea](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/woman_book_cover_image_red.jpeg?h=ca0659a5&itok=HGXdCSu2)
4 Resources on Refugee Crises in Global Context
Explore resources that offer additional points of entry that educators can use to situate the Ukrainian refugee crisis in broader global histories of displacement and highlight its connections to other refugee crises unfolding around the globe.
![The definition of refugee spotlighted on a page](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/refugee_typed_definition_spotlight_image.png?h=a6c55029&itok=aVin1aQI)
10 Virtual Exhibitions on Women's History
Facing History provides links to 10 virtual exhibitions that teachers can use to introduce students to women's history.
![Woman waving at her computer while on a virtual call](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/woman_waving_computer_video_photo.jpeg?h=140710cd&itok=9ZnAKPzd)
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)