Facing History and Ourselves, Inc.

“If Facing History didn’t exist we would need to invent it. It matters that much." - Eran DeSilva, Facing History Teacher, San Jose, California

Every day, reports of incidents of bigotry and hatred across the globe show us how fragile democracy can be.

Join us in supporting more local teachers by sponsoring a scholarship to one of our in-person or online trainings to help them foster a safe and inclusive environment in classrooms from San Francisco to the Silicon Valley. Our goal is to provide 50 scholarships valued at $500 for Bay Area teachers.

Facing History and Ourselves supports teachers with the tools and strategies they need to help students engage around difficult topics, reflect on the choices they confront today, and consider how they can make a difference. Effective teachers play a critical role in increasing students’ achievement, engagement, respect, resilience, and empathy. Our students learn about hatred and bigotry so they can stop them from happening in the future.

As one of the most diverse areas in the U.S., it is imperative for more Bay Area teachers to have the tools they need to engage around difficult topics in their classrooms. Facing History and Ourselves currently works with 6,009 educators reaching 276,600 students in 662 schools.

By integrating the study of history, literature, and human behavior with ethical decision making and innovative teaching strategies, our program enables secondary school teachers to promote students’ historical understanding, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning.