Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Eric Moran | Philadelphia, PA
As professional educators, we cannot be intimidated into teaching nationalist versions of our history, which will only continue to marginalize many of our students. We will not be bullied by far right elites who profit off of the ignorance of the masses.
Jessie Cantil , AK
The impact of systematic racism in this country is far too keenly felt by students learning only partial truths.The history I learned growing up was the history of white America only -with no inclusion for any other Americans who helped construct what has become the greatest nation on earth-which did not happen because it was formulated by white America by any means. We could not have become the greatest nation on earth had we not been assisted in that state of being without the theft of land from Natives, free labor of the slaves, without the indentured servants of the Chinese laborers, without all of the migrant farm workers from Mexico -to name a few-we have systematically lied about the very construction of the fabric that created the woven strength we present to the world -this is unjust.And a lie. the real history is overdue- and a basic building block for dismantling the big lie about why our country became great. We can do better.
Cassidy Hall | Viola, ID
History is a set of facts that are not meant to be manipulated. Truth is necessary to not repeat the atrocities that have happened throughout this country's history.
Natashia Sylvia | Garden City, ID
CRT is the key to understanding white supremacist systems so that we may disrupt them and create for a better, more equitable world for all.
Shelly Stafford | Vancouver, WA
It is important and vital that we talk about our history as a whole and stop glorifying the violence dealt by the white colonizers.
Carly DeBenedictis | San Pedro, CA
Marcia VanderWoude | Grand Rapids, MI
Matthew Knoester | Ripon, WI
Kids deserve to know the truth
DANIEL KUMPREY | Portland, OR
My pledge is this: "I refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events — regardless of the law."
Shawn Riggins | Vineland, NJ
Alisa Patapoff | San Pedro, CA
Omar Dphrepaulezz | Rancho Cucamonga, CA
I will NEVER stop teaching the history(ies) of the pernicious, poisonous, destructive, ideologies of white supremacy and imperialism
Nick Covington | Ankeny, IA
We can't change the facts of history to accommodate white rage.
Stephanie Carta | Fountain Inn, SC
Never again means never again.
Evan Greaves | Durham, NC
I will not be complicit in the whitewashing of history and I refuse to be silenced.
Jennifer Onopa | Holyoke, MA
Bill Stalnaker | Fairmont, WV
Students deserve the Truth about our History not some Whitewashed or Diluted version!
Angela Clifford | Aiken, SC
We are better together than we are apart and we are responsible for teaching all perspectives so we can truly grow, support and understand each other-even when we feel uncomfortable.
Jana Harter | Canyon lake, TX
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (George Santayana) History helps students understand the roots of inequality today and gives them the tools to shape a just future. It is not just a history of oppression, but also a history of how people have organized and created coalitions across race, class, and gender. The new laws being ushered in by GOP legislatures are a form of doublespeak. George Orwell's 1984 novel warns us against doublespeak. It used to be fiction.
Desiree Hellegers | Vancouver , WA
The assault on history is an assault on democracy.
Diane Hardy | Las Vegas, NV
My students come from very diverse backgrounds. They are intelligent critical thinkers, who can tackle difficult subjects with civility.
Veronica Rivera Savage | NY, NY
It should not be illegal to teach the truth.
Danika Nieves | Philadelphia, PA
“Bans on critical race theory” are bad faith pieces of legislation being pushed by the same people who proclaim to support academic freedom and ridicule “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings.” The arguments lack consistency, serve to leverage bigotry, and frankly, most of the proponents of this legislation are unable to define or explain critical race theory.
Dr. Tina Lageson | Portland, OR
We should always teach the truth….the good, the bad, the inequities…so we can all work to make improvements with clear knowledge!
Jenifer Felix | Philadelphia, PA
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.