At the 2013 Urban Sites Network Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, “Writers of Social Justice: How One Pen Can Change the World” (April 25-27), past participants Paige Cole (’09), Lisa Hall (’09) of Georgia and Sandi Robertson (’11) of Tennessee presented their work in a panel entitled “Teaching about the Holocaust and Social Justice: Best Practices from Participants in the Memorial Library Summer Seminar in NYC” and chaired by HEN Assistant Director Jennifer Lemberg. The three teachers shared lessons drawing from varied texts including television, graphic novels, and political speeches, and presented thoughtful, interactive methods for engaging students through art, drama, and writing. While sharing their best practices for teaching about the Holocaust, social justice, and civil rights, they sought to demonstrate how we can “start where our students are” and help move them toward taking action in the present day.

Lisa Hall, Paige Cole, and Sandi Robertson present at USN 2013 in Birmingham.