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Dear Luke,

The holiday season is upon us, but I know that for so many of us it may be difficult to feel celebratory. But despite bitter racial and ethnic bias, religious intolerance, xenophobia and homophobia that have fractured our communities, here’s a reason for hope:

100,000 Facing History teachers and their students are standing up to bigotry and hate. 

As you know so well, education is one of the strongest forces we have to shape the future we all want. Using lessons of history, we are teaching the next generation that their choices will create better societies; their empathy for others and their ability to recognize injustice—and stand up to it—will have lasting effects well beyond the classroom.

When you support Facing History, you’re part of something greater than yourself: a movement committed to justice and equity. Young people are on the frontlines of our future. They count on their Facing History teachers to help them build a future they actually want to live in, one guided by knowledge and compassion. Can they count on you, too?

We all have to put in the work today to see that future become a reality. I’m confident that together we can face history, face ourselves, and stand up for a better world.

Dear Luke,

My name is Durias Dyer, I’m a high school senior and Facing History student in Memphis—but there’s so much more to me than that.

Because I’m a young African American man, there’s a narrative that follows me, and others who look like me—six foot tall with a big frame—even if that’s not our story. Despite all of the different things that make me me—that I love playing football, hanging out with my two year old niece, collecting vintage baseball cards—when some people look at me, they only see something I’m not: a stereotype.

I’m lucky, because Facing History helps me and my peers look at complex issues of history and identity. It challenges us to listen to each other, learn where people are coming from, confront our own biases, and to stand up when we witness injustice.

Help Students Stand Up

I had the chance to stand up in my own life recently: on an airplane. Seated near me was a man and a younger woman. I could tell that the man was making the woman uncomfortable; he was taking up her personal space and being rude to her. I was going through my bag, when I found my Facing History folder on bullying. I wondered, should I speak up?

When the man started shouting at the young woman, and I knew I had to speak up. I remembered there was a lesson that taught us how to de-escalate a heated conversation. So I got to it.  

I listened to the man, while adding he should be respectful of other passengers...and we ended up having a long conversation! It could have gone a different way. But because of Facing History, I was able to flip the script and change the outcome—for all of us.

Through your support, Facing History is empowering my generation to listen to each other, look beyond stereotypes, and stand up to injustice. Will you stand with us?

Dear Luke,

My name is Julie Leff, and while I have the honor of serving as the Chair to Facing History’s Board of Directors, I write to you today as a former teacher, a mother, and as a concerned community member.

It doesn’t take long scrolling through your social media or news feed to feel the anxiety of the times in which we live. In fact, a recent Georgetown poll shows that a majority of Americans believe political, racial, and class divisions are getting worse. Maybe you feel that way, too. But, here’s the good news:

Over 100,000 Facing History teachers and their students are standing up to bigotry and hate, and building a better world.    

Show them you care

When I was a Facing History teacher, I saw our lessons in action: my students standing up to a bully in the hallway, or speaking up to address a racist comment from a classmate. And in the years since, I’ve heard countless stories of Facing History students using lessons of history to think critically about complex current events, such as mass shootings, the #MeToo movement, and taking a knee during the National Anthem. I am comforted knowing these students recognize the importance of their choices, and know they have a crucial role in their communities. These examples, and many more, are why I support Facing History. 

I know firsthand that once you have that Facing History foundation, you teach differently. At Facing History, we have proven that we build better communities by helping young people understand that their choices, in fact, make history.  

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. While we would love your support tomorrow, I ask that you consider making your gift today. Let’s stand up together, and ensure our children are able to build a brighter future.

Thank you,

Dear Luke,

Today is Giving Tuesday, and as a teacher, I ask that you consider giving to Facing History and Ourselves today. Here’s why:

I teach at Catholic Memorial School in Boston, and in my school, and schools nationwide, teachers need help addressing the charged topics dividing our communities. The constant vitriol and polarization in our public sphere takes a toll on all of us, and especially on our students. For so many of us, we have forgotten how to talk to each other—we’ve forgotten how to listen.

That’s why we all need Facing History.

Image courtesy of Catholic Memorial School

As educators, I believe we have a responsibility not only to our students today, but also to the adults that they will grow into. With Facing History’s guidance, our students are developing an increased sense of empathy and concern for each other—values they’ll take with them into adulthood. I feel confident encouraging the “soft skills” of not only speaking and collaborating, but also the very important skill of listening. As a result, our students develop skills essential for civil conversation and the strengthening of our communities. Profound in its simplicity and effectiveness, Facing History’s approach can be incorporated into the classroom of any teacher willing to challenge the divisiveness permeating our present moment.

Since working with Facing History, our entire school community has been enriched. Not only are our students supporting each other in new ways, but our faculty has learned to collaborate more easily, and now know each other on deeper levels. In these divisive times, I know I can count on Facing History to bring my classroom, colleagues, and community together. 

When you support Facing History, you support teachers in your community and around the world—and help bring us all a little closer together.

Thank you,

Dear Luke,

It’s Giving Tuesday, and I spent the morning stuck in an airport!  The rush of my daily life was forced to a halt—literally frozen. As I watched the snow fall onto the tarmac, I found myself with an opportunity to reflect, to think of the year I’ve had as a parent, a spouse, a professional; to think of the moments, big and small, that really mattered.

One of those moments was just a few months ago, sharing our refreshed mission statement:

Facing History and Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.

As I finally taxied from the gate to the runway, I thought of my own family—my three young adult sons—and was grateful for Facing History’s renewed level of focus. We are helping kids, kids like mine, learn how to make their future more inclusive and just for everyone.

I’m sure you’ve heard from many deserving organizations today, but here’s why you should make a donation to Facing History and Ourselves right now: we’re giving the next generation the skills they need to stand up to bigotry and hate.

Whether you’ve been stuck in a snowstorm like me, are just getting home from work, or are winding down for the night, please take just 3 minutes right now to support Facing History’s mission. Whether you’ve already made a contribution today, or you’re just getting to it now, giving $10 dollars or $10 more makes a huge impact. I’m proud to support Facing History. Will you join me?

Thank you for pitching in to supporting all our kids,

Dear Luke,

I serve as Facing History’s Chief Operating Officer, but I am writing to you today as a mother. 

Long before I began working here, my son Coleman was so lucky to have Facing History for an entire year in eighth grade, as well as five full weeks of our seminal course, Holocaust and Human Behavior, as a freshman in high school. The Facing History program challenged my son to better understand his own identities, while developing an appreciation for the identities and perspectives of others.

I believe you care about our students. Will you make a gift today to help more young people understand themselves--and others?

Coleman gained a new language from his Facing History experience, which he brought home to the dinner table. As a family, we were able to talk about complex issues, about ‘upstanders and bystanders,’ and articulate the gravity of his family’s experiences during the Holocaust. He began to draw connections between the histories he was learning about, which in turn helped him develop a new awareness of the connections between each of us, as people. His growing curiosity, intellect, and compassion challenged our entire family to grow alongside of him. I couldn’t have been more proud as a parent. Facing History helped Coleman determine who he wanted to be, and, in a not insignificant way, how we as a family could support that.

Coleman is in college now, and, as a young gay man, he’s on his own exploring more of this world and the person he is intent on becoming. Unfortunately, sometimes that exploration involves interactions with people who have formed assumptions of him - assumptions rooted in bigotry and hate. He’s told me too many stories of times he’s been followed, or had slurs screamed at him as he walks down the street. Each time I’m left feeling angry, scared, and begging for a different world. 

This is why I commit myself to Facing History’s work every day: hope for a better world - one guided by knowledge and compassion, not bigotry and hate. That’s the world we’re building at Facing History, and we need your help.

Thank you,

Dear Luke,

Today is Universal Human Rights day. 

This morning the UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres called "on everyone to support and protect young people who are standing up for human rights." This comes at a time when the rights of so many around the world are under threat. Will you answer the call?

For more than 40 years, Facing History has partnered with teachers, schools, and communities to support young people in developing their moral and civic voices, in speaking out against hatred and injustice, and in standing up for justice and equality.

• 70% of Facing History students feel it is their responsibility to take action in their communities.
• 82% of Facing History students have stood up to someone who has made a racist comment.
• 92% of Facing History teachers agree that our resources help their students stand up for what they believe in even when others disagree.

With your support, we’re enabling the next generation of young people to stand up for more democratic, equitable, and just societies. On this Universal Human Rights Day, we hope you'll stand up with them. Support Facing History.

Dear Luke,

If you asked me to describe Facing History and Ourselves in one word—I couldn’t. It’s Emotional. Rigorous. Reflective. Transformative. As an educator, I could go on and on, but the important thing is that Facing History challenges me to be a better teacher.

I teach a course on Genocide. As I’m sure you can imagine, the material can be difficult, for me and my students. But I teach the course because it’s crucial for students to understand that genocides aren’t confined to the past. This very week, with Aung San Suu Kyi on trial at The Hague, I’ve had several conversations with students about Suu Kyi’s role in the genocide of the Rohingya people, as well as the role of the Gambia in demanding justice for this ethnic minority. I wish we lived in a world that didn’t necessitate such conversations, but when it does, I know I can count on Facing History for support.

Dear Luke,

My name is Pam Haas, and I am the Executive Director of Facing History’s New York office, one of our 9 locations. I know many of you are packing your bags this week, preparing to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. But, as much as we would all like to focus on hope for the New Year, we cannot turn a blind eye to the reality of hatred in our world. Just last week, we witnessed yet another deadly act of antisemitism: in Jersey City.

Will you support Facing History, and help us stand up to bigotry and hate?

Inevitably, such acts, and the fear and confusion left in their wake, end up in our classrooms. And teachers are on the frontlines. What are they supposed to do? 

Teachers look to Facing History and Ourselves.

In the moments of pain and fear after a crisis, moments becoming all too frequent, we help teachers offer context, comfort, and solutions to the generation growing up in this world right now. Just two weeks ago, we partnered with the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center in New York to help 50 local teachers address racism, antisemitism, and white nationalism with the thousands of students that they reach. Westchester District Attorney, Anthony Scarpino, who attended the event, underscored the importance of Facing History, saying "by educating students to what bigotry yields, a frightening world where justice has no meaning, we are serving the greater good." 

We can’t hide from hate - whether in Jersey City, Pittsburgh, El Paso or Charleston. And neither can our children. We need to help young people recognize hate, its origins and consequences, and empower them to stand up to it. At Facing History, we are doing this. In fact, 81% of Facing History students report they feel more capable of recognizing racism, antisemitism, and prejudice. But we need the support of people like you to reach the teachers and students who need us most.

Together, we can build a world guided by knowledge and compassion, instead of ignorance and fear.

Hi Luke,

My name is Matthew Vincent, and I serve as the Associate Director of Donor Communications here at Facing History and Ourselves. I’ve been with the organization for 2 years, and am proud to be amongst an international network of staff, teachers, students, and supporters who are all committed to confronting the rise of hate-fueled violence and division, and who are standing up to bigotry and hate. 

Even as I write to you this morning, multiple acts of violence occurring over the weekend are under investigation, including an attack against the Jewish community in the home of a Hasidic rabbi in a NY suburb, which left five people injured. As my colleague, Liz shared the other day: “As much as we’d like to, we can’t shield our children from hate.” She’s right. And she was also right when she wrote that “when students understand history, they are better equipped to stand up to bigotry and hate when they encounter it in their own lives.”

Over the past month, we’ve shared stories of Facing History teachers and students who truly embody our mission. It’s important to us to bring these stories to life - to share with you the work happening on the frontlines - in our classrooms and schools. Another reason is to offer supporters like you an opportunity to help us expand our reach and our impact. We need to ensure more teachers and their students have the tools, training, and resources to stand up to bigotry and hate.

We’re just two days away from the end of the year. In 2020, we hope to reach 50,000 new teachers, who will join over 100,000 already in our network, as well as millions of students. To contribute toward achieving that goal, we need to raise at least $100,000 through this end of year appeal. And we’re so close. To raise the remaining $15,000 - or 25 full scholarships to a 5-day Facing History seminar - we need just 300 gifts of $50.

Please join me and thousands of others who are supporting Facing History teachers and students as they build a safer, more compassionate and inclusive world.

Hi Luke,

Last time you heard from me, I was stranded at the airport in a snowstorm. I wrote about our mission statement and how proud I am of the work my colleagues are doing with teachers. I’m happy to report that I made it through the storm, and am now enjoying time with my family. My sons are home and filling up our house with talk of soccer and senior year, as my husband fills our kitchen with the smells of homemade rolls and sweet potato pie.

As you continue enjoying Hanukkah latkes with your own family, baking Christmas cookies, or however you are spending this Winter Break, I ask: will you support Facing History and Ourselves?

Today is my son’s 18th birthday. His teacher last year used Facing History resources to connect the legacy of slavery in the U.S. to issues of mass incarceration today. For my son, it was profound, and I know he is now entering adulthood a more thoughtful, empowered person because of it. As he prepares to graduate, will you join me in ensuring that the next cohort of high school students has this transformative experience?

You can make a difference right now. A little truly goes a long way! If everyone receiving this email donates just $10, you will provide nearly 100 teachers with full scholarships to attend their first 5-day Facing History seminar. In turn, those teachers will transform their classrooms using curated resources and proven strategies to challenge over a hundred thousand students to stand up to bigotry and hate. See what I mean? Pitching in any amount makes a difference!
Thank you for supporting Facing History and Ourselves. Happy holidays!

Lara James
Chief Marketing Officer

Hello Luke,

My name is Marc, and forty years ago I attended a Facing History and Ourselves seminar that changed the course of my life. I’m writing to you today to ask that you help make Facing History’s life-changing resources accessible to hundreds of thousands of teachers around the globe.

Today, I serve as Facing History’s Chief Program Officer, but it was the seminar I took in 1979—like the seminars we continue to provide to thousands of teachers every year—that changed everything for me. I saw teaching in a new light; I saw how students make meaning of history. I left challenged, inspired, and committed to bringing Facing History to my own classroom.

My experience wasn’t unique. Countless teachers have shared this same experience I had all those years ago. In fact, you’ve heard from some of them already. And after four decades, I’ve witnessed Facing History's power in schools and communities around the globe, from South Boston to South Africa, and can say with certainty: Facing History works.

I don’t need to tell you that we live in uncertain times. That democracy is fragile. However, I do need to tell you that teachers who receive Facing History’s training, resources, and support, are standing up. But they can’t do it without your support.

Facing History teachers are helping their students develop the critical skills needed to defend democracy using knowledge and compassion. They are using lessons of history to show them it’s possible, and imperative, to stand up to bigotry and hate. The more teachers we reach, the more students will stand up. Will you help us reach those teachers today?

Whether you’re brand new to Facing History, or have stood with us for as long as I have, please stand with us now.

"If not now, when?"

Dear Luke,

You’re probably getting ready to head out to celebrate with friends and family, but before you raise your glass to ring in the New Year, please take just a couple of minutes and make your donation to Facing History and Ourselves. 

Remember - if you donate to Facing History and Ourselves before the countdown to midnight, your gift will be matched!

Right now, you can personally impact the new year for hundreds of thousands of students. Please join our movement to fill our world with kindness, equity, and democracy. I’ll toast to that. 

Help Facing History use lessons of history to challenge more teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate, in 2020 and in years to come. Whether you can give $10 or $100, your impact will be doubled--and so will ours. 

Thank you & cheers!

Luke-

Dear Luke,

My name is Dimitry, and I’m the Executive Program Director for Professional Learning & Support at Facing History and Ourselves. I’ve been with Facing History for 20 years, and it seems to me that right now, teachers and students need our support more than ever. 

Why have I given two decades of my own time and support to this organization? Like many of you, I see four troubling trends in our communities:

1. I see all of us living in an increasingly polarized society. 
2. I see growing national populism threatening liberal democracies around the world.
3. I see the rise of identity-based hatred, which fuels mass shootings, police brutality and the persistence of racial violence and discrimination.
4. I see a sheer lack of imagination from so many adults on how to remedy the hate in our world. And that’s why young people are so important!

Facing History has proven that we can remedy these dangers because students in Facing History classrooms explore identity and perspective, both their own and their classmates’. Our students are more likely than their peers to show respect for one another, including those who are different from them: 72% have an increased capacity to understand and feel for people different from themselves. And when they see an injustice, they take action: 82% have stood up to someone who said something offensive, such as a racist comment.

We have proven we can work with teachers to unlock the potential of young people’s imaginations, so they have the understanding and will to stand up for justice, equality, and democracy. And while we now reach more than 100,000 educators and millions of students, our goal is to double our impact by 2022. Facing History has the power to help even more teachers and students stand up to bigotry and hate -  but first, we need to reach them. We need your support.

Let’s start the new year with a contribution toward real change. Together, we can bridge divides in our communities, strengthen our democracies, confront discrimination, and stand up to bigotry and hate. Make your contribution today.

Thank you for supporting Facing History and Ourselves!

Dear Luke,

My name is Liz Vogel, and I’m the Executive Director of Facing History’s Los Angeles office. I like to say I grew up at Facing History; I’ve been here for most of my career, working with, and in support of, educators throughout California for almost 20 years

Right now, our community of educators and learners, people I know so well, is stressed. Over the course of the year we have been faced with numerous acts of hate in schools across greater LA. Our schools have had active shooters on campus; our schools have had their students regularly targeted by ICE; our schools have been defiled with hateful slurs and images--recently at an elementary school, where a swastika was found on the playground. 

Join me in supporting educators.

As much as we’d like to, we can’t shield our children from hate. Rather, Facing History aims to address and eradicate hate at its roots. That’s where our educators come in. In classrooms in LA and around the world, Facing History teachers are helping students, all of our children, understand the historical roots of racism, antisemitism, and other prejudices. When students understand history, they are better equipped to stand up to bigotry and hate when they encounter it in their own lives. Through knowledge and compassion, our teachers and their students are building a more just future. 

Please join us in standing up to bigotry and hate.