Facing History and Ourselves - Memphis Feed

Holocaust Survivor and Friend of Facing History Nina Katz Dies at Age 89

EmilyBlackie — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 22:29:23 +0000

press_type:

In the News

February 14, 2014

Longtime friend of Facing History and Ourselves and Holocaust survivor Nina Katz died on February 8, 2014, at the age of 89 in Memphis, Tennessee. A member of the Facing History Memphis advisory board, Katz spoke to countless Memphis-area classrooms and to educators at many Facing History summer seminars.

Born in Poland in 1929, Katz was sent to Oberaltstadt, in what is now the Czech Republic, to work in a textile factory in a slave labor camp during the war, while the rest of her family was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. After the war, Katz worked in Poland to help reunite families who were split up and sent to different camps during the war, which is where she met her husband, Morris Katz. The two moved to the United States in 1949.

"Nina's legacy will be in the stories she shared," Rachel Shankman, senior director of the Facing History Memphis office told Local Memphis. “She felt an obligation to people who couldn't speak.”

Read “Remembering Local Holocaust Survivor Nina Katz” in Local Memphis.

Read Katz's obituary in the Commercial Appeal.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

New Book Features Chapter on Facing History

EmilyBlackie — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:54:48 +0000

press_type:

In the News

February 3, 2014

Giving Back with Purpose, a new book by Jeremy Park, features a chapter on Facing History and Ourselves in Memphis, Tennessee. Park, president of the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club and frequent contributor to the Memphis-based Commercial Appeal and Daily News, celebrates individuals and organizations in the Memphis community that are leading by example by making giving a priority. All profits from the book will benefit local literacy programs.

Learn more about the book.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

Memphis Benefit Dinner Highlighted in “Jewish Scene”

EmilyBlackie — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 16:35:54 +0000

press_type:

In the News

January 3, 2014

Jewish Scene, a publication that connects Jewish communities across the United States, has featured Facing History and Ourselves' 17th annual Memphis Benefit Dinner, which took place November 4, 2013, at the Hilton Hotel. The event drew over 750 guests and featured first-hand accounts by administrators, teachers, school staff, and students about Facing History's positive impact in Memphis area schools.

Read “Facing History Holds Evening of Fundraising Awareness” on the Jewish Scene website.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

“Commercial Appeal” Celebrates Leadership of Facing History’s Memphis Director

EmilyBlackie — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 20:02:54 +0000

press_type:

In the News

December 13, 2013

Rachel Shankman, Senior Director of Facing History and Ourselves' the Memphis office, announced that she will retire next year after 22 years.

“Rachel is the soul of our local office. Her heart and her passion in the work that office has done has affected not just kids in Memphis but students throughout the country,” Overton High School Principal and speaker at Facing History's 2013 Memphis Benefit Dinner Brett Lawson told the Commercial Appeal. “Her enthusiasm is infectious. She’s a force to be reckoned with. She encourages, inspires, sustains.”

“Over 20 years ago, I was drawn to Facing History and Ourselves’ mission of bringing diverse groups of students together to learn from the lessons of the past and apply those lessons to their lives in the hope of creating a more just and humane society,” Shankman said in a recent press release. “And in an increasingly complex world, that mission seems more relevant today than ever.”

Read “Memphis Facing History Chief to Retire” in the Commercial Appeal (subscription required).

Read more about Shankman’s retirement from Facing History.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

Facing History's Memphis Senior Director Rachel Shankman will Retire Next Year after 22 Years

EmilyBlackie — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:32:18 +0000

press_type:

Press Release

December 12, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Emily Blackie
Facing History and Ourselves
216-321-9220 x226/Emily_Blackie@facing.org

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Facing History and Ourselves Memphis Senior Director Rachel Shankman will retire next year after 22 years with the international education non-profit, the organization announced Wednesday.

Shankman will remain the leader of the 37-year-old institution’s Memphis office through June, 2014.

“Over 20 years ago, I was drawn to Facing History and Ourselves' mission of bringing diverse groups of students together to learn from the lessons of the past and apply those lessons to their lives in the hope of creating a more just and humane society,” Shankman said. “And in an increasingly complex world, that mission seems more relevant today than ever.”

Shankman grew up in Tennessee, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. She credits her family history with inspiring her dedication to education, tolerance, and improving race relations. “My parents came to Nashville in 1949 as Holocaust survivors. One of the challenges they faced when considering what this country promised was the reality of segregation. Race, the importance of equality, and respect were all very much a topic at my dinner table,” she has said.

Shankman first heard about Facing History in the mid-1980s when she was the director of the Jewish Student Union at the University of Memphis. When Facing History opened its regional office in Memphis in 1992, Shankman came on as director. She, along with one volunteer, ran the show. Today, the office has seven staff members and has provided professional development and resources for 6,331 teachers. Four hundred seventy-two schools in the region use the Facing History program and 170,300 middle and high school students throughout Tennessee have received Facing History instruction.

“Rachel’s commitment to a better education for young people and her passion for the work of Facing History exemplify the change that one extraordinary individual can make in a community,” Facing History Co-Founder and Executive Director Margot Stern Strom, herself a Memphis native, said. “Facing History sincerely thanks her on behalf of students in Memphis and around the world.”

Prior to joining Facing History, Shankman was director of the Jewish Student Union at Memphis State University, educational director of Beth Sholom Synagogue, regional director of the B’Nai B’rith Youth Organization, and a casework associate with Family Services of Memphis.

During her tenure at Facing History, Shankman helped raise significant funds to increase support for Memphis-area educators, students, and schools, including a successful one million dollar matching grant in 2011. She helped Facing History host an international conference on urban education, which brought scholars, educators, and students to Memphis. Under her direction, Facing History in Memphis brought the organization's traveling exhibit "Choosing to Participate" to the city's adults and young people, hosted public conversations with filmmakers such as Lee Hirsch (BULLY) and authors like Wes Moore (The Other Wes Moore), and partnered with the Commercial Appeal newspaper on its Newspaper in Education series, which serializes books on important topics and couples it with connection questions for classroom use.

She was the first woman president of Beth Sholom Synagogue, has served on numerous boards, and was a 1994 graduate of Leadership Memphis. Her work has been honored with the 2013 University of Memphis Outstanding Alumni award, the 2012 Ruby R. Wharton Outstanding Woman Award, a 2012 Women’s Foundation’s Legends Award, the 2010 Hadassah Educator of the Year Award, the 2004 Bishop Carroll T. Dozier Award for Peace and Justice from Christian Brothers University, the 2004 Women of Achievement award, and she was recognized as one of the city’s 2012 “Best and Brightest” by Memphis City Guide Magazine.

“It has been my privilege to be the director of Facing History’s Memphis office,” Shankman said. “Facing History and Ourselves is a gift to our community and world. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this vital organization.”

About Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves was founded in 1976 by educators who believed that instilling intellectual vigor and curiosity goes hand-in-hand with teaching facts and figures. From the disturbing lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides to struggles for civil rights from Birmingham to South Africa, we trust students to wrestle with complex moments in human history, and work to help them understand the range of human behavior. These students learn to connect the dots between the ethical choices they’ll face in life and the positive outcomes they can create in their community and the world. For more information, visit facinghistory.org.

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Facing History’s Memphis Benefit Dinner Featured in "Memphis Daily News"

EmilyBlackie — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 21:29:21 +0000

press_type:

In the News

November 19, 2013

Pearl and Mel Shaw, philanthropy and fundraising experts and authors of The Fundraisers Guide to Soliciting Gifts, have reviewed Facing History and Ourselves’ 17th Annual Memphis Benefit Dinner in their FUNdraising Good Times blog for the Memphis Daily News. The event, which took place on November 4, 2013, at the Hilton Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, brought together over 450 area educators, students, board members, and community members.

The Shaws said of the event, “We found ourselves in a beautiful room surrounded by people committed to ensuring that students have the opportunity to learn from history and develop the ability to make ethical choices…The evening was an example of a well-orchestrated fundraising event.”

Read the blog post in the Memphis Daily News.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

“Memphis Magazine” Features Facing History Memphis Director, Women Making a Difference

EmilyBlackie — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 17:31:02 +0000

press_type:

In the News

October 17, 2013

Memphis Magazine has featured Facing History and Ourselves Memphis Senior Director Rachel Shankman with five other winners of the Women's Foundation's 2012 Legends Award, which recognizes women in Shelby County who demonstrate outstanding achievement, community commitment, and exemplary leadership.

What motivates her is “wanting to make our community the best possible Memphis it can be, but I’m equally motivated to think beyond our community,” Shankman told Memphis Magazine. “Realizing in my particular interest, how we can use education for every student to achieve a quality education.”

Read “The Women’s Foundation Honors Memphians Who Are Making a Difference” in Memphis Magazine.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis.

Memphis Facing History Students Head to New York for Service Learning

EmilyBlackie — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 17:26:22 +0000

press_type:

In the News

June 21, 2013

The Memphis-based Commercial Appeal has featured Facing History and Ourselves teacher Lauren Boccia and three of her students from St. Agnes Academy. Supported in part by a 2013 Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grant, Boccia and her students will travel to New York City this month to participate in a service-based learning trip with peers from Dominican Catholic schools throughout the United States.

“The main point of the trip is to serve those who live on the margins – the homeless, the disabled, those living in poverty. It will be an opportunity to meet people who live in places like Spanish Harlem, the Lower East Side, Hell’s Kitchen,” Boccia told the Commercial Appeal. “They will be building relationships with each other, studying injustices that exist in New York, going to the Tenement Museum to learn what it was like for immigrants and engaging in service opportunities.”

Students Abby Hanson, Maya McCullough, and Rachel Leonard are all part of Boccia’s Holocaust and Human Behavior class, an elective at St. Agnes. Over the course of their trip to New York, the three will use multimedia skills, filming and blogging about (you can read their account at Saafhlg.blogspot.com) their experiences. Following the trip, the students will produce a documentary, which they will present to other student leaders and educators from across Memphis at the annual Facing History Student Leadership Summer Training Program in Memphis.

Boccia is one of 20 educators from around the world to receive a 2013 Margot Strom Innovation Grant from Facing History. The Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants grew out of a teaching award established in 2006 to recognize Facing History-trained educators that are thinking outside the box to transform schools and impact student learning.

Read “St. Agnes Students to Serve, Observe in N.Y.” by Michael Kelley in the Commercial Appeal (subscription required).

Read "Exploring the Concept of Universe of Obligation in NYC" by Lauren Boccia on Facing History's Interfacing blog.

Click here for a complete listing of 2013 Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grant winners and winning projects.

Learn more about Facing History’s work in Memphis and read more about Boccia’s work in the classroom teaching with Facing History.

Memphis Educator Receives Facing History Funding to Create Student-Produced Documentary

EmilyBlackie — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:55:52 +0000

press_type:

Press Release

May 29, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Emily Blackie
Facing History and Ourselves
Emily_Blackie@facing.org
216-321-9220 x226

Memphis Educator Receives Facing History Funding to Create Student-Produced Documentary
Innovation grants honor 20 Facing History educators around the world

May 29, 2013, MEMPHIS, Tennessee – This spring, the Brookline-based international educational non-profit Facing History and Ourselves awarded $40,000 dollars to fund 20 innovative, cutting-edge classroom projects around the world, including over $2,800 for high school teacher Lauren Boccia, at St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, Tennessee.

The St. Agnes Academy Facing History and Ourselves Student Leadership Group will gather at Dominican Academy in New York City with students from other Dominican Catholic schools throughout the United States to participate in a program partially funded by a grant from the Dominican Sisters of Peace Shalom Fund. They will live out the four Dominican Pillars of community, prayer, study, and just actions. Students will produce a documentary examining their discoveries regarding the true essence of the struggles that marginalized people face and will present their documentary and their personal testimonies at the Facing History Student Leadership Summer Training Program in Memphis, Tennessee.

About the Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants
The Innovation Grants were established in 2006 but reintroduced this year with a focus on technological innovation and collaborative learning. Each year, Facing History will review the previous year’s award winners and their projects. At the end of the year, one grand prize finalist will receive $5,000 to continue their work. For a complete listing of individual winners and winning projects, click here.

About Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves was created in 1976 by Brookline, Massachusetts, by educators who believed that instilling intellectual vigor and curiosity goes hand-in-hand with teaching facts and figures. We provide training, professional development, and resources that support the practical needs, and the spirits, of educators worldwide who share the goal of creating a better, more informed, and more thoughtful society. With 10 offices around the globe, we reach more than two million students each year through our worldwide network of more than 29,000 trained educators.

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Women’s Foundation Symposium Honors Memphis Office Director

EmilyBlackie — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:49:16 +0000

press_type:

In the News

May 1, 2013

The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis has honored Rachel Shankman, senior director of the Facing History office in Memphis, Tennessee, with a 2012 Legends Award. Established in 2009, the annual award recognizes women in Shelby County who demonstrate outstanding achievement, community commitment, and exemplary leadership. Shankman is one of only six women to be honored at this year’s Legends Award Reception, held on April 26 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

Read “Tribute Symposium Honors Six Local Women” by Jennifer Johnson Backer in the Daily News.

Read more about Shankman in the Memphis-based RSVP Magazine and learn about her selection as one of 2012 “Best and Brightest” in Memphis City Guide Magazine.

Learn more about our work in Memphis.

Support Facing History’s work in Memphis and around the world.