The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has joined the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves to dramatically increase access to the themes and content in its national initiative Choosing to Participate with a set of posters designed to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect and participation in classrooms and communities. This poster exhibit is currently on display at the SC State Library located at 1500 Senate Street in Columbia.
The posters are intended to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The posters present the experiences of individuals and communities, explore the history and impact of racism and prejudice, and encourage viewers to consider the consequences of everyday choices—to discover how “little things are big”—and to make a difference in their own communities.
The Choosing to Participate website, www.sites.si.edu/choosingtoparticipate, features a host of resources, including downloadable files of each poster and links to various educational resources for teachers, families and communities.
Founded in 1976, Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development nonprofit organization whose 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. For more information, visit www.facinghistory.org.
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for nearly 60 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition descriptions and tour schedules, visit www.sites.si.edu.
