Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Amy Williams | Lehigh Acres, FL
These new bills and laws are arbitrary, unenforceable, and attempt to either legislate a problem that doesn't exist, or (worse) gloss over crucial aspects of American history to perpetuate the American exceptionalist agenda.
Claire Ramsbotham | South Portland, ME
I feel that in order to teach history accurately, we need to talk about all of it, not just a white-washed view. The only way to avoid making the same mistakes that were made in history, such as the Japanese American Internment during WWII, we need to teach kids about it.
Emily McLaughlin | Bronx, NY
I will always teach the truth
Christine Thomas | Reedsport, OR
History is a pathway to not repeating mistakes. Acknowledging lessons from history will help us do better. Freedom cannot protect itself.
PAUL WAGNER | Hammond, IN
I refuse to be forced into teaching white supremacist "history". If you can't take the truth, go somewhere else.
Lauren Prusecki | Brooklyn, NY
Michelle Brezek | Chicago, IL
We cannot heal from the past if we do not share the stories.
Jennifer Enserink | St Louis, MO
Kevin Brodie | Old Saybrook, CT
Teachers have a right to teach the subjects to the best of their ability without interference from lawmakers who know nothing about professional education. "Those that can, teach. Those that can't, pass laws about education." We also do a disservice to students when we decide that they cannot cope with difficult or challenging concepts. Calling this teaching indoctrination shows no respect for young people's cognitive and critical abilities.
Kati G Gilson | Tucson, AZ
Carrie Sorensen | Providence, RI
Karen Hemmerich | Tavares, FL
The truth matters. No one is inherently bad but history will repeat itself if not taught.
Loraine Snead | Marion, MA
All Americans have a moral, social and ethical right to learn and examine the historical legacy of systemic racism, classism, sexism, and all other inequalities.
Lee Waterhouse | Cambridge, MA
Rev. Chuck Currie, DD., DMin., MDiv. | Portland, OR
Kimberlie Todd | Toledo, OH
Critical thinking requires facts
Ivonne Rovira | Louisville, KY
these bills CLAIM they don't want anyone to teach that one race is superior to another; however, the bills erase every part of history that's not exclusively white. That proves that the real point of the bill is to teach that European-Americans were -- and, most importantly, continue to be -- the most important thread in this country's history.
Daniel Stutzman | Bowling Green, OH
We all must know the truth of our past and present to move forward. My black, brown, queer, and all "othered" students need to their history, especially the histories of the heroes and champions fighting for true eqaulity and full acceptance.
Joanna Payne | Cape Elizabeth, ME
John Dube | Plaistow, NH
I believe in encouraging my students to think critically, gather evidence to support their views and most notably in exposing them to all facets of history.
Jennifer McKinsey | Wichita, KS
I will not lie to my students or whitewash history to ease the cognitive dissonance and ignorance that some want to perpetuate.
Chris Thinnes | Woodland Hills, CA
... (1) this organized attack on CRT demonstrates the legitimacy of CRT by showing how the law is used to perpetuate white supremacy and (2) partisan media is now targeting signers of this petition and I stand with you in solidarity. come what may.
Theresa Bess | Santa Fe, NM
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”― James BaldwinI pledge to always continue to learn and use factual information to develop my understanding of the world around me. Children are human beings and they will lead our world into a more intelligent and kind way of living with each other, therefore students must be fully informed of the truth and reality of our U.S. history.
Deanne Fritschy | Bonney Lake, WA
Nic Digger | Oshkosh, WI
We need to teach kids it's ok to not feel shame when an adult touches their private areas
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.