SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER IN SCHOOLS Global Reach Aligned

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights was founded in 1968
to carry on Robert Kennedy’s commitment to a more just and peaceful world. His
legacy reflects a belief in the power of the individual to bend history, and the power
of many to break down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Speak Truth To Power (STTP) is a multi-faceted educational program that uses the
real life stories of activists to educate about human rights and inspire audiences to
take action. STTP began as a book written by Kerry Kennedy with photos by Eddie
Adams, was adapted into a play by Ariel Dorfman, and is now a human rights
education curriculum taught to hundreds of thousands students around the world.
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER IN SCHOOLS
STTP provides students with activity-oriented teacher-developed lesson plans
based on compelling stories of courageous individuals who took a stand against
injustice.
Global Reach
To date, the STTP human rights education curriculum has been disseminated to
hundreds of thousands of students in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Italy, Nicaragua,
Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In Italy, the STTP
curriculum is being taught in every province and is compulsory in some schools.
Aligned with Common-Core Requirements
The STTP human rights curriculum has been widely distributed throughout the
United States. In recent years, the RFK Center has partnered with New York
State United Teachers (NYSUT) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS), releasing a
curriculum for grades K-12 with over 35 lesson plans aligned with Common
Core learning standards. Law students are also trained to teach STTP through a
partnership with American University's Washington College of Law; this
program will expand in 2014.
"The powerful lessons from
Speak Truth To Power are
already tied to the
curriculum that our kids
must be taught…and show
the students that they can
make a difference…giving
the students a sense of self
worth that makes them want
to be part of the classroom
and the community."
- Katie Gould, Educator, Annandale
High School, Virginia
"The [Speak Truth To
Power] lessons provide
opportunities for students to
submit their own ideas and
make their own judgments
about the world around
them. The lessons' focus on
practice encourages young
minds to see how they, too
can take action and become
defenders in their own
right."
- Richard Iannuzzi, President, New
York State United Teachers (NYSUT)
1300 19TH STREET, NW | SUITE 750 | WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036 | TEL. 202.463.7575 | FAX 202.463.6606 | WWW.RFKCENTER.ORG GOALS
• help students self-identify as human rights defenders by taking on active roles in creating a more just
and peaceful school environment, neighborhood, local community, or even world
•
inspire students with living role models who have boldly overcome complex challenges and offer
alternatives to negative, violent behavior
•
contribute to social and emotional development while improving core competencies in English language
arts, social studies, geography, economics and psychology, critical thinking, public speaking, planning, and
problem solving
IMPACT
• An independent evaluation indicates STTP plays a significant role in reducing bullying and harassment,
empowering youth leadership and creativity, and generally improving school climate. Anecdotal evidence
and feedback from teachers has supported this conclusion for years.
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
STTP began as a book showcasing the work of fifty-one human rights defenders, featuring intimate portraits by
Eddie Adams. These portraits now tour across the globe as a traveling collection of inspiring profiles in courage.
Award-winning playwright Ariel Dorfman was inspired to adapt the book into a play, Speak Truth To Power:
Voices from Beyond the Dark, which premiered at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in September 2000
as part of PBS's The Kennedy Center Presents.
On stages across the world
Athens
Barcelona
Cape Town Doha
Actors and Actresses
Alec Baldwin
Harry Belafonte
Alexis Bledel
Loraine Bracco
Jamie Cepero
Glenn Close
Florence
Geneva
Trevor Donovan
Hector Elizondo
Giancarlo Esposito
Helsinki
Hong Kong
America Ferrera
Marcia Gay Harden
Rupert Graves
Kinshasa
Johannesburg
Charles Grodin
Woody Harrelson
Kevin Kline
Madrid
Mantua
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss
John Malkovich
Julianna Margulies
Milan
Phnom Penh
Matthew Modine
Alfred Molina
Julianne Moore
Rome
Seoul
Rita Moreno
Matthew Morrison
Viggo Mortensen
Stockholm
Sydney
Bill Nighy
Lena Olin
Mandy Patinkin
Sean Penn
Lynn Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Gloria Reuben
Rufus Sewell
Martin Sheen
Christian Slater
Paul Sorvino
Juliet Stevenson
Sharon Stone
Meryl Streep
Stanley Tucci
Sam Waterston
Sigourney Weaver
Bradley Whitford
Debra Winger
Alfre Woodard
Robin Wright Penn
Washington, D.C.
To find out more about Speak Truth To
Power, please contact Andrew Graber at
Graber@rfkcenter.org or (202) 463-7575
ext. 223, or visit our website at
www.rfkcenter.org.
1300 19TH STREET, NW | SUITE 750 | WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036 | TEL. 202.463.7575 | FAX 202.463.6606 | WWW.RFKCENTER.ORG