The Power of Story: The Holocaust and The Struggle for Human Rights

Date: June 16-20, 2025
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Identity, intolerance and resistance will be examined through individual narratives of the Holocaust and Civil Rights. Survivor testimony, diaries and in person talks will be paired with practical pedagogy which will allow teachers to find realistic ways to incorporate Holocaust studies into their classrooms.
● Participants will visit the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum
● Classroom-ready activities and materials on the Holocaust and related topics will be modeled and New Mexico Standards and Benchmarks will be referenced throughout
● Speakers will touch on a variety of issues including, but not limited to, hate crimes, hidden children, and Jewish culture
Leaders
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Barbara Lazar
Barbara Lazar is a veteran middle school teacher and librarian. She has continually valued teaching the Holocaust and social justice through literature, writing, and art. She has been working with TOLI since 2015, participated in the flagship TOLI Leadership Seminar in New York in 2023, is a Belfer Conference alumnus, and as part of the Educational Leadership team for the New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum, she maintains her passion for the importance of Holocaust education and working with educators.
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Leslie Lawner
Leslie Lawner taught Language Arts and Social Studies in grades 6-8 from 2003 until 2021 at Sidney Gutierrez Middle School in Roswell, New Mexico. She was a teaching fellow with the High Plains Writing Project and received the New Mexico Charter School Teacher of the Year award and was the Gilder Lehrman New Mexico Social Studies Teacher of the Year. She participated in the TOLI Summer Seminar in New York in 2008.
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Susan Quintana
Susan Quintana, a 34-year teaching veteran, taught Humanities, Mock Trial, World History and 20th Century Genocide History at Pojoaque Valley High School in Pojoaque, New Mexico. She is a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Fellow, and a Golden Apple recipient. She was Pojoaque Valley Schools Teacher of the Year and recognized with an Excellence in Teaching Award by the Lanl Foundation. Susan attended the TOLI New York Summer Seminar in 2012. She is passionate about social justice issues as they resonate today in classrooms and communities in New Mexico.
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Michelle Thompson-Loyd
Michelle Thompson-Loyd, a veteran elementary and high school teacher, is a 2016 graduate of the TOLI Summer Institute in New York. She taught AP US History and Constitutional Law for 13 years. She has also taught Great Books, Contemporary Issues and Mentorship, and was an AVID coordinator for the Albuquerque Public Schools. She is a reader leader for AP US History exam.