Massachusetts and Rhode Island have mandated the teaching of genocide in high schools. Students may ask: Why do we need to talk about this? A clear, historically grounded answer is: because it can happen to all of us – anywhere – and because knowledge about genocide can help us prevent it. No people are immune to the deep othering and racism that plant the seeds of genocide. And all of us have agency to help stop it, starting with our own actions in raising awareness of the genocide against native Americans in the Americas<\/a>.<\/p>\n This page presents tools and lessons for bringing specific histories of genocide in Rwanda, Sudan, and Namibia into your classroom. As you approach teaching these topics, it is crucial that this NOT be the only story you tell about Africa so as to not feed into students’ existing misconceptions of the continent as riddled with conflict. As you teach about these topics, highlight 1) the lives of individuals; 2) the ways individuals exercise their agency and their voice; 3) connections to struggles against settler colonialism and racism the United States. These resources below will support these goals.<\/p>\n