CLEVELAND — Twenty-five years. That’s how long the Facing History & Ourselves organization has been engaging Cleveland students in complex discussions of our nation’s history, and in just a few days it will be celebrated.
An anniversary benefit featuring author and media personality Van Jones and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb will take place Thursday, Sept. 26, at The City Club of Cleveland.
Facing History & Ourselves is a non-profit global organization that allows middle and high school students to examine history from multiple perspectives through rigorous case studies with their teachers.
“It’s really about empowerment. It’s equipping students and teachers to make meaningful change in the face of some of our most pressing challenges. That’s what Facing History does,” said Koyen Parikh Shah, an educator and long-time Facing History supporter.
The benefit begins with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a program that includes a panel starring Jones, Bibb, and Facing History CEO Desmond Blackburn. Twenty-five corporate partners, educators, and community leaders will also be honored.
“The 25 people who have been selected for this honor are all upstanders because they’re all people who are concerned about the current state of affairs, but they’re also hopeful about it,” said Shah. “And they have a really action-oriented approach and have taken steps personally and professionally to tend to the tension and make the world a little bit better.”
Shah, one of the event's honorary chairs, said she knows firsthand the impact of Facing History. A former teacher, Shah is one of 6,000 Northeast Ohio educators who have utilized the organization’s tools and approaches in their classrooms.
WKYC is the media sponsor for the event, which is sold out.