Mockingbird in Today's World: Youth Voices Facing History

Date: June 16, 2016

Summary: Facing History and Ourselves sponsors Facing History Together contests to offer educators, students, and Facing History alumni the opportunity to tell stories, bring ideas to life, and build conversations about the issues that matter most - and share them across districts, states, and countries. We spoke to Laura Tavares, from Facing History and Ourselves, about this year's contest, and heard from a number of winning student essayists. The contests challenge participants to share experiences from inside and outside of the classroom, make connections between history and the moral choices we confront in today's world, and think about the world in a new way. Winning entries come in a variety of styles and media but all inspire us to envision a society free of racism, antisemitism, bullying, and hatred of all kinds.

Excerpt from Show

Laura Tavares —Senior Program Associate at Facing History and Ourselves:

The woman who started facing history, Margot Strom, said that students are really moral philosophers. And we want to give voice and give an opportunity for students to really share they way they see the world through the lens of their own experiences.
"So the essay contests are a way for us to both encourage student reflection and share student writing and student voices."