Facing Racism Opening Event

The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education (Chhange) hosted an opening reception for its “Facing Racism” student art installation on April 10, 2016. More than 400 students, grades pre-K through college collaborated with Chhange in this installation.

This educational initiative began in January 2016 with Chhange’s Educator Workshop, which provided guidance and materials to the teachers so they could begin a dialogue with their students about the roots of racism and its impact today. A diverse panel of speakers discussed their own personal experiences with racism. Educators also learned skills to facilitate discussing racism in their classrooms. 

After the workshop, teachers returned to their schools with lesson plans and art materials. Students were given oval-shaped foam core discs and asked to express their own feelings and experiences through art. They utilized paint, sculpture, glass, yarn, plastic and other materials to create the powerful finished pieces. The students also wrote artist statements about their art sharing their personal responses to participating in this project.