Facing History and Ourselves raises $1.3 million


Rory Muchow, Facing History and Ourselves  teacher
Rory Muchow, Facing History and Ourselves teacher

Iyonna McCoy , a student delivers a powerful address
Iyonna McCoy , a student delivers a powerful address

Facing History and Ourselves raises $1.3 million at
24th Annual Chicago Benefit Dinner


Nearly 700 of Chicago’s leading civic and corporate leaders, teachers and students were welcomed by The Chicago office of international educational nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves  at its 24th Annual Chicago Benefit Dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 E. Wacker Drive) recently. The event, co-chaired by Hon. Stephanie D. Neely and Shawn Lytle, featured keynote speakers Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr. and Gerald Stern,  raised $1.3 million dollars for the organization.

The Benefit Dinner highlights Facing History and Ourselves’ work in Chicago and honors the commitment of its supporters. Each year, Facing History teachers in the Chicago metropolitan area annually reach over 232, 000 middle and high school students at over 700 public, religious and independent schools.

The evening began with  a festive cocktail reception and was followed by the dinner program. The program opened with  with powerful stories from Gerald Stern, former trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, civil rights author and former Facing History board member who interviewed    

The longtime civil rights activist and National Chairman of the Board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference shared his  stories of the 1961 Freedom Riders movement  from his perspective and Stern  spoke on his. They both met the the  challenge change the non-enforcement of desegregation rulings in the southern United States. A perfect segue was  Rory Muchow, a Facing History educator and teacher at Oscar Mayer School, and her former student Iyonna McCoy who followed Stern and Lafayette.

Gerald Stern interviewing Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr. which made for a lively dialog.
Gerald Stern interviewing Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr. which made for a lively dialog.

They represented the present and future–all that has come from the work that these brave men, Freedom Fighters who stood up against racial injustice helped to make happen. Iyonna McCoy delivered a riveting address that moved  and touched the audience.

Facing History and Ourselves’ Chicago Director Bonnie Oberman and President and CEO Roger Brooks made closing remarks before the dessert reception where guests were also privy to a book signing by Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr.  

 Additional honored guests in attendance included: Tom Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO of The Allstate Corporation; Steven Koch, Deputy Mayor of the City of Chicago; and Greg Cameron, Executive Director of The Joffrey Ballet.

Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and mass violence, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

More information is available at www.facinghistory.org.

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