Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Andrea Christensen Zdenek | Saint Paul, MN
Crystal White | Gulfport, MS
Everyone deserves to know the truth of what this country is built upon and it is not the lies some want to be told.
Kathleen Anderson | Bearsville, NY
A good teacher teaches from their own truth.When someone tells me what I can and cannot teach, I can’t be in my own truth and I can’t be in the truth of my students who are curious about things that interest them.Being constricted by laws is not teaching; it is disguised propaganda.
Lesley Younge | Silver Spring, MD
Students deserve access to the full array of American narratives and to know the facts that will help them build the future they want for themselves and their peers.
Alex Bennett | Redmond, WA
I believe that the past is not dead. We must learn from and confront our past to avoid the making the same mistakes in the future.
S C | Bellmead, TX
Teaching the true history of the US is crucial for addressing racism at its roots. Educating our children about the harsh reality of our society, country, and where it all stemmed from creates a generation that is aware and mindful about how racism plays a role in everything we do. We can prevent future racially motivated acts of terrorism, deaths, assaults, inequality and much more. Knowledge is power and we will not be rendered defenceless.
Greta de Jong | Reno, NV
I cannot accurately teach U.S. history without mentioning how imperialism, racism, and sexism shaped the development of this nation. Students are not harmed by learning the truth about past and present practices that have led to the inequitable distribution of wealth and opportunity. Instead, they are empowered to identify and work to dismantle unjust systems. It is this possibility, not the desire to protect young people, that motivates those who seek to prevent educators from teaching the truth.
Amy Long | Los Gatos, CA
The censorship of the truth and books are the roots of totalitarianism. I won't be silenced in my classroom. Let the educated teach, not politicians looking to get reelected or hysterical parents waving Bibles.
Jonathan Swan | Springfield, MA
Teaching students the true history of the United States is the only way for them to understand how the uninterrupted, repetitive cycles of disinformation, violence, and racial oppression have shaped and reshaped this country into the Divided States of America.
Ashley Williams | Sugar Hill, GA
Kira Cochran | Tonawanda, NY
The lack of social justice in this country is disgusting and heartbreaking. ALL of my students deserve to have a chance to fulfill their potential.
Bruce Robbins | Durham, NC
I believe in a classroom that is a culture of thinking. In such a classroom students are asked to confront the discipline in a problems based, inquiry format. This allows students to create evidence based conclusions. These bills will prevent students from creating evidence based conclusions.
Isaac Lake | Asheville, NC
Because it would be criminal to stand by to these unjust acts within our own governments.
Roxanne Pfenning
This is a ludicrous and unacceptable law and I am ashamed by the fact that it may be passed. Ignoring and covering the existence of something does not make it exist any less, it ONLY makes those ignoring and covering it more comfortable.
Ellen Wilson | Columbia, MO
My job is to teach the truth.
Jean Evans | Longmont, CO
I am extremely concerned that any subjects or materials are being banned. We should be teaching the truth which also includes the truth about the division of races. Biologically we are one human race and students need to know that.
Melissa Marini Švigelj | Santa Cruz, CA
Tina Starks | Rancho Cucamonga, CA
students deserve to know the truth about our nation's history and the harmful impact of structural oppression on the humanity of its citizens. Students deserve the opportunity to examine historical truths to avoid perpetuating the transgressions of the past and to envision the betterment of their future.
America Patton | Kansas City, KS
as our world becomes more diversified, I believe that it is more important to tell the story of all diverse cultures and nationalities. When history is taught more accurately, I believe that our world would be a more peaceful, safe, and united place to live. Ancient truths, and ancient histories are just as important as present day truth. All cultures stories and history deserve to be told accurately, and all diverse stories diverse to be included in diverse educational curriculums.
Joan Hurley | Southington, CT
…all of the above…
Cassie B | Mill Valley, CA
James Sattva | Mc Gaheysville, VA
my commitment to empower and embolden my Electrical Trade students requires that I provide accurate accounts and scientifically sound analysis. Empowering students, in addition to teaching valuable skills, means teaching them to: 1) question absolutely everything; 2) gather every possible scrap of evidence; 3) think dispassionately; 4) identify and embrace emotions; 5) practice empathy and compassion in judgement; 6) speak comprehensibly and write coherently; and, 7) be at home with doubt and discomfort. If I neglect the effort to model for my students any of these principles, I have failed them - no matter how good they get at wiring things.
Emilie Hansel | Harvey, IL
My students deserve truth...not textbook "truth"
Becky Brown GB
I want the Truth being taught! In an attempt to begin to address the injustices that are still happening.
Louis Bonsteel | Huntington Park, CA
I will teach the truth, I will teach the whole of history, not just parts. We have to know the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Selected Pledges
Click on pledge below to read many more.
As an educator who is serious about teaching the truth I will not be bullied into silence. I will do my part in the fight for equity and equality by making sure my students are most equipped to fight this ugliness in the real world.
Yes, the truth of American history needs to be taught, but also its impact on the rest of the world, such as its role in WWII. I just finished teaching a college-level course on the Holocaust, and could not believe how little the students knew about the rest of the world’s participation in the war! They seemed to believe that WWII was ended by the US alone!
“When you begin to do things that raise the achievement of the poorest and disenfranchised students, you may not always get applause. You need to be ready for that.” Dr. Asa Hilliard
“Resistance is a powerful motivator precisely because it enables us to fulfill our longing to achieve our goals while letting us boldly recognize and name the obstacles to those achievements.”
Dr. Derrick Bell
Our young people deserve the truth and it is our kuleana (responsibility) to give space and opportunity for the truth and the difficult conversations.
If we don’t teach it all, we teach nothing…
Social justice is a major theme of my Humanities 7 course, and my school uses Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s HILL framework (development of identity, skills, knowledge, Criticality) to frame our entire curriculum. Student agency through research work and essay writing, and action-oriented civic engagement work, define what we “cover” in my course.