Thinking about ways to help people in Syria:

Charity Navigator

7 Charities Helping Syrians

Over the next weeks we'll all be mulling over the "meaning" of the presidential election.  This is an especially daunting task for educators.  I've heard teachers disussing the process of our elections, how democracy works (or doesn't), trust in our political system, etc.  It's great to be optimistic, but let's face it, if  the tone of his campaign will dictate his policies as president, Donal Trump is a frightening prospect for we who believe in essential human rights.

I will be curating any resources I find, but here's a good start from the wonderful resource, Teaching Tolerance.

What to Say to Kids...

And a terrific conversation from educator Ali Michael in The Huffington Post:

What do We Tell the Children?

Other links about students, teachers and the election:
Reassuring Kids

James Baldwin: 100 Years Since Emancipation (1963)

American writer and activist speaking on "100 Years since Emancipation."  It's amazing to me to read and to listen to or watch Baldwin and how, sadly but inspirationaly, he is still so relevant today.

Human Rights and the War on Terror

Approaching the end of a semester I am always looking for relevant content. These last units change from year to year depending on what I'm interested in, what topics students have covered in their independent projects or what's current in the news.  Over the last several years I've found myself going back to Masuda Sultan's memoir My War At Home.  Published in 2006, the book opens many different topics for us to tackle, all of which are still very relevant and pressing.  In the first part of the book Sultan reflects on her experiences as an Afghan and Muslim immigrant to America.  It's a great opportunity to bring in intertwining issues of immigration - so prevalent in this election year - the clash of religion and culture, Islamic feminism, and Western (mis)understandings of Islam.  9/11 provides the backdrop for the second two-thirds of the book.  As an Afghan and Muslim in America, Sultan provides a unique perspective on America's role in the world and the "war on terror."  Sultan experiences first hand the impact of U. S. military power on a human scale.

Though approaching ten years since it's publication, I find this book still invaluable in its relevancy and relatability for students.   

James Baldwin on race, love and civilization.

From student Jessica Sevillo, Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Peter Eisenman

Peter Eisenman, an American architect, designed the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. For the majority of Eisenman’s life, he was dedicated to swimming. When he was in college, he realized that he had a passion for architecture. His newfound talent prompted him to give up swimming for good. After he graduated, he began teaching architecture at schools such as, Ohio State University, Harvard, and Princeton. Some of the projects Eisenman worked on were House VI, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, City of Culture of Galicia. After Eisenman constructed the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, he said, “I want visitors to feel the loss and disorientation the Jews felt during the Holocaust.” Eisenman also explains that he intentionally designed the memorial to be abstract; “the enormity and scale of the horror of the Holocaust is such that any attempt to represent it by traditional means inevitably inadequate.” Although some people thought the memorial should contain names or dates to represent the victims, Eisenman felt that this would make the memorial seem like a graveyard. The overall intention for this memorial was for it to be a place that is an everyday experience.

The Holocaust Memorial was created based on World War II. Adolf Hitler was in charge, and he envisioned an Aryan race. Anyone who did not fit this “race” was considered inferior. Initially, the Nuremburg Laws of 1935 were passed to exclude Jews from society. Then, as Hitler became more powerful, he decided to create concentration camps that would murder thousands of Jews and others that did not fit the Aryan race. Inside the camps, people were tortured and practically starved to death. Whether the people were forced to labor or perform other tasks, they had to listen to the Nazis. There were also gas chambers and mass graves that were used to “exterminate” as many people as possible. Hitler’s ultimate goal was “extermination,” and he did whatever it took to reach that goal. World War II had lasted from 1939-1945, when finally American soldiers liberated the camps.

The Holocaust Memorial consists of 2,700 concrete slabs covering about 204,440 square feet. In addition, there is a visitor center underneath the stones that offers information about the Holocaust. The primary human rights issue that surrounds this work of art is Jews and many others not being seen as humans. People were not treated with dignity or respect because the Nazis did not see value in them. According to the Nazis, people were worthless in the following ways: not qualifying for the Aryan race, being weak, being a woman or child, being old, etc. This completely violates the majority of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For example, Article 5 states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (UDHR). By putting people under the conditions of the concentration camps, the Nazis were violating Article 5. In response to the Holocaust Memorial, the German parliament said there intention is “to honor the murdered victims, keep alive the memory of inconceivable events in German history and admonish all future generations never again to violate human rights, to defend the democratic constitutional state at all times, to secure equality before the law for all people and to resist forms of dictatorships and regimes based on violence.”

The Holocaust Memorial impacts people because it calls for action. Peter Eisenman said, “The transformation of guilt into collective responsibility suggests that action must be taken to ensure that negative events of the past do not ever happen again the future.” Therefore, the Holocaust is a part of history that cannot be ignored. The German society lives by the motto “never again” to ensure that history will not repeat itself. German’s are now able to “wash their hands clean of the history.” Personally, the memorial has never impacted me, because I have never visited there. If I were to go to the memorial, I would be silent the entire time. Just reading about the Holocaust Memorial makes me wonder about how family members of the victims are affected. 

From student Emily Van Zeeland, "Set Me Free," by Stephanie Olson:

This image was taken by Stephanie Olson for her Set Me Free Project which is an antihuman trafficking moment. This movement aims to raise awareness and provide education to help end human trafficking.  Human trafficking is currently a $150 billion dollar business which makes it the second fastest growing crime in the world. Since human trafficking involves many painful and controversial topics such as rape, prostitution, and violence, many people would rather not think about human trafficking. However, the only way to truly end human trafficking is to bring awareness to the severity of the issue. The fact that human trafficking violates many human rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights demonstrates the necessity for change. Two human rights that human trafficking majorly violates are described in articles 4 and 5. Article 4 deals with the freedom from slavery. The hand placed over the girls mouth in the image displays the lack of freedom that individuals suffering from human trafficking have. Human trafficking is not a choice; it is forced upon individuals, who many times are unaware of what is happening. Article 5 furthers the point stated by article 4 by claiming that all humans have a right to the freedom from torture and degrading treatment. In the image this type of treatment is shown by the barcode on the girl’s forehead. She is not viewed as a human being; instead she is just an object and thus is treated like one. This image accurately displays the major human rights violations of human trafficking and has created a positive impact that has resulted in many people donating to the Set Me Free Project.