Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Aly Havrilla | Wallingford, CT
I believe in teaching the truth because it provides the rationalization for reparations and gives us a better understanding of of the need to call racists out.
Andrew Johnson | Chicago, IL
"The truth is what happened. It ain't what come out of somebody's mouth." --- John Grady Cole in Corman McCarthy's novel, All the Pretty Horses, 1992
Michael Weber | Baltimore, MD
Tracy Otwell | Chicago, IL
I am concerned that laws being passed in some states may make it impossible for teachers to teach the history of our country so that we are not doomed to repeat it.
Lata Murti | Santa Maria, CA
I believe Critical Race Theory should be taught at all levels of education, and that, in some ways, it already is. CRT is not a bad word nor a bad theory. It's the truth.
James Klock | Chicago, IL
... while my context does not put me at risk for punitive measures for teaching the truth, I stand in solidarity with those who are on the front lines of that fight.
Michelle George | Brooklyn, NY
Choosing to teach the truth is choosing antiracism. We can't continue to pretend that police kill more black people and more of us are incarcerated because criminality is in our DNA. We can't understand policing without knowing about slave patrollers, black codes and jim crow. If we are to change America into the antiracist society it could be, we need to begin exposing the truth wherever we find it hidden.
Donna Mitchem | Chicago, IL
I pledge to teach the littlest learners about the greatness of their race/culture through research, books music and discussions.
Bryan Shaw | Concord, CA
Teaching the complexity of history is worth the clap back.
george musgrove | Washington, DC
Lisa McNeil | Bordentown, NJ
our children deserve to be taught the truth. They must know that we value who they are and what their ancestors, elders, and contemporaries have contributed to the world. Black and brown children must have their stories centered in education.
Sandra Shnider | Everett, WA
It is important that all students learn to be critical thinkers and to recognize the truth and learn how to respond to false and inaccurate information.
Kelly Schaeffer | Steamboat Springs, CO
Joanne Yi | Los Angeles, CA
Rachel Ohlhausen | Kansas City, MO
As a resident of Missouri, and proud public school graduate (Farmington, MO High School, Class of 2011) it was crucial that my teachers had honest conversations with us. The public education system is full of diverse teachers from all sides of the political spectrum. It is important that no freedom of information or speech is limited. This includes being honest about our history and talking through the ways that our past impacts us today. It is impossible to be a part of the current climate and not talk about racism, history, sexism and more. These conversations are healthy and needed. In the future, I want to raise my own children in the public school system. Support our amazing teachers of Missouri. Stop taking away their ability to foster learning and growth - we will all pay for this negatively in the future if we don't act today!
Rafi Karjadi | Philadelphia, PA
Anne Olson | Menlo Park, CA
Mimi Tra | Camden, NJ
Brenda Morris | Madison, WI
My students deserve to understand all the complexities of US history so they can work to build a better democracy and promote human rights for all.
Carlos Castellanos | Valley Village, CA
The truth sets people free and there are so many who need and deserve to be free.
Paula Hinchliffe
This is so important. Kids need to learn the truth
Robin Wildman | South Kingstown, RI
I've always taught the truth to my students. They were more thoughtful, empathetic, civic-minded individuals because of this. It's our duty as educators to bring to light the atrocities of the past and present, so that we can truthfully educate young people who will be the politicians and voters of tomorrow.
Molly Wolf | Baltimore, MD
It is our duty as educators to teach the FACTS and TRUTH of our nation's history!
Michele Gaston | Shawnee, KS
Because history is not negotiable. Whether it be the Indians the slaves racismEtc. Children should be taught the truth. “Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.” Edmund Burke
David Egly | Spokane, WA
There is no one "history" - there are many "histories", many lived experiences by different individuals & peoples throughout history as well as today. I strive to honor those histories by helping students understand past events and movements through many different perspectives. In this way, we get closer to the truth about our past and are able to see our present with a more nuanced vision.
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.