100 Days to Inspire Respect & Hope

In January 2017, USC Shoah Foundation launched 100 Days to Inspire Respect to provide teachers of civics, history, English and other subjects new thought-provoking resources for the first 100 days of the incoming administration.   

As a new administration now takes the mantle, we are continuing this tradition by launching a new initiative, 100 Days to Inspire Respect & Hope. “With new leadership in our country comes a new chance for all of us to make a difference. For our part, this initiative aims to help teachers seize the momentum, empowering them to give their students inspiring learning experiences that expand their knowledge, build their humanity and give them hope,” said Stephen Smith, USC Shoah Foundation Finci-Viterbi Executive Director.  

Modeled after the aggressive 100-day agenda initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he took office in 1933, the initiative provides teachers with free online resources organized along weekly themes designed to help students develop the skills and capacity to counter some of the most difficult topics of hate, racism, intolerance and xenophobia that threaten democracy.  

The series begins with a focus on ways to Inspire Respect, a theme powerfully addressed in testimony by Holocaust survivor Ruth Pearl, whose son, a journalist, was executed by terrorists in 2002. Here she explains the importance of demonstrating regard for others, including other's differing ideas, values and beliefs.  

In conjunction with the initiative USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education are partnering to launch their annual Stronger Than Hate Challenge. The challenge invites students aged 13-18 to create a piece of artwork—such as a video, poem, blog, or painting—that demonstrates the chosen medium’s potential to create a community that is stronger than hate. Winning entries are eligible to win up to $10,000 in prizing! The 2021 challenge site can be found here: https://www.teachingwithtestimony.com/challenge