Facing History and Ourselves is a nonprofit, international, educational and professional development organization. Our mission is to engage students and teachers of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. For over 40 years, we have provided educators with professional development and best-in-class educational resources that enable students to conduct rigorous investigations of the development of difficult histories, including the Holocaust, Reconstruction, the struggle for civil rights in the United States, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, and other key historical moments worldwide. Students explore the individual choices that led to mass violence or systemic discrimination, as well as decision-making that led to positive change. Through the lens of these histories, they reflect on the choices they face today and consider how they can make a difference as “upstanders,” rather than bystanders.
