National Exhibit at Boston Public Library Offers Interactive Look at Racism, Injustice and the Power to Make a Difference
BOSTON - From schoolyard bullying to youth violence and hate crimes, acts of intolerance abound in the United States. All too often, people choose to turn their backs and remain uninvolved. For four months, one place in Boston will bring people face-to-face with difficult decisions that others have made, and invite students, families, concerned residents and others to ask, "What would I have done?" Choosing to Participate, an interactive multimedia exhibit created by the Brookline-based international non-profit Facing History and Ourselves, opens its doors at the Boston Public Library on January 30th and runs through May 20th.
Choosing to Participate (CTP) features four moments in history that capture hatred, racism, injustice, courage and compassion, and uses audio recordings, photography, videos and other techniques to share each story. CTP also recognizes 25 Greater Boston-area "Upstanders" - individuals and groups who have made a difference in their communities, showcases a compelling display of student artwork related to the themes of CTP, and offers an extensive calendar of workshops, nationally-renowned speakers, performances and film screenings during its visit to Boston.
"Facing History and Ourselves has given a great gift to Boston," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. "In bringing its exhibit Choosing to Participate to our city, Facing History reminds us of the importance of civic engagement and the role our individual decisions play in creating healthy communities. I encourage everyone to go see this provocative and inspiring exhibit opening this month at the Boston Public Library."
The exhibit has won national praise for encouraging people of all ages to consider the consequences of their everyday choices and inspiring them to make a difference in their own schools and communities.
"Choosing to Participate's stories bring you into four very different moments that took place in recent history. These real-life stories speak to the challenges we face globally today," said Margot Stern Strom, Executive Director of Facing History and Ourselves. "Facing History's central belief - that the decisions we make, often every day, are so powerful, and so significant to the lives of others - is at the core of Choosing to Participate. We share this belief in classrooms and communities worldwide."
Visitors to CTP will view:
A series of multimedia installations about people and communities whose stories illustrate the courage, initiative and compassion needed to protect democracy and human rights:
- Little Things are Big: Tells of a decision made on a late-night subway ride in New York City in the 1950s
- Crisis In Little Rock: Describes the way people in the Little Rock, Arkansas community responded to the integration of Central High School in 1957
- Not in Our Town: Tells of how individuals and groups in Billings, Montana reacted to a series of hate crimes in 1993
- Everyone Has a Story: Depicts the challenges faced by a young Cambodian refugee and people in his community as he struggled to build a new life in the United States
They will also view a variety of other exhibits, including:
o Upstanders: Portraits of Courage is a photographic exhibit highlighting 25 Greater Boston-area individuals and groups who were nominated for the ways they created change in their communities. Upstanders were selected by a distinguished panel.
o pARTicipation: Young Artists Speak Up displays powerful works of art that New England students created, showing their struggles, hopes and burgeoning sense of themselves as agents of change. A committee of educators, artists and community leaders selected the featured artwork.
o Action Arts: Positive Change through Artistic Action was created by a group of students who used art and storytelling to explore social justice and their roles in society. Facing History partnered with Beacon Academy and master artist Chandra Dieppa Ortiz.
o Humanity in Action: Resistance and Rescue in Denmark, a powerful photography exhibition that explores the history of the rescue of Danish Jewry in 1943 and provides a striking narrative of individual and collective resistance. The photographs are the work of Judy Ellis Glickman.
o Extensive community calendar of prominent speakers, musical and dance performances, a film series and workshops for educators and families throughout the exhibit's four-month stay in Boston.
o Guided tours of CTP for school groups, community organizations and the general public.
CTP, which first launched in Boston in 1998, has traveled extensively to Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, and San Francisco. It has attracted more than 250,000 visitors, including 40,000 middle and high school students. More than 10,000 of Greater Boston's middle and high school students are expected to be among the thousands of visitors to CTP in Boston.
The exhibit is open to the public during the Boston Public Library's normal hours. To learn more about CTP, guided tours and to view a calendar of special events, visit http://choosingtoparticipate.org.
About Facing History and Ourselves
Since it was founded in
1976, Facing History and Ourselves has grown from a single office in Brookline,
Massachusetts, to an international organization with close to 150 staff
members. Facing History's offices are located in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver,
London, Los Angeles, Memphis, New England, New York, and the San Francisco Bay
Area. The organization has established educational partnerships in a growing
number of countries, including Northern Ireland, Israel, Rwanda, Canada, and
South Africa.
Facing History's
mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of
racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a
more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development and
lessons of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, students make the
essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in
their own lives.
