Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Rhoden Streeter | Louisville, KY
Democracy dies in lies
edward karcis | Fayetteville, AR
Children should not be denied the right of learning the truth. I was denied the truth in my primary and secondary education. that lack of truthful education has me having to take classes and otherwise study to learn the truth at age 61.
Mark Riniker | Selah, WA
Teaching history is not about making anyone feel good or bad. Rather, historical study is about thinking critically about the past, understanding different perspectives and drawing informed conclusions based on what the sources reveal.
Samantha Leihsing | San Antonio, TX
History has a wealth of stories that are vital to teaching students. Social studies should not be dictated by white Christonationalist agendas that are seeking to erase these histories and stop meaningful education. Criticality means honestly looking at the past, the present and dreaming of a better future we can build through decolonization, decentering of whiteness and focus on inclusion of identities
Emily Murphy | St. Paul, MN
As James Baldwin wrote, “American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.”
Nicole Post | Webster Groves, MO
I owe it to the students I teach to honor them by teaching the truth and including all perspectives of history.
Christi Nonn | Tucson, AZ
It is imperative that we teach our children the truth about the founding of this country, racism, and injustice and how this has permeated all aspects of how this country is run to ensure that the racist mistakes of the past are not duplicated and to create more fighters for social justice.
Billo Harper | Clinton, MD
The Value of passing on how intergraded how our historical pass and future are connected and increasingly aids adolescents in social learning and human development.
Linda Ellis | Los Angeles, CA
I believe that unless the truth about history, is told we can noy truly be free. It is important to realize that United States history is in fact Black History It is important to tell the truth about how Blacks were ripped from not only their land and culture but that they (we) were stripped of our Humanity. It is not until that truth is taught that we can truly be treated as equals. I also strongly feel that is important to understand that we as a people suffer from a collective PTSD of sorts and that our youth are in gangs and do not live up to their potential because of a absence of HOPE.And, if not now, when?Linda Ellis
Suzie Garrett | Chico, CA
Racism hurts EVERYONE ! and because there's only ONE Race.... when we rise from the bottom EVERYONE?THING rises ! These are known truths !
AMY OLAYA , PA
I will not lie to my black and African American students to protect the wealthy white elite.
Kelley Ukhun | Washington, DC
The only thing that should be in control of the narrative is the Truth. Speak it to power and lay bare the injustice. Educating the young in the truth is our only way out of this.
Kerry Muntz | Gresham, OR
I believe in truth and and I am not afraid to have difficult conversations about the horrors and injustices of our past in order to raise the next generation as more critically thinking young adults. Sharing accurate information about US history and the indignities perpetrated by those who cling to power is my duty as an American and an educator.
Cory Culver | Elkton, MD
Truth matters.
Rhonda Stewart | Nashville , TN
I am that child that is now 66 and believe children growing up would feel as I feel now! It’s UNFAIR to continue to deny our children fair and equitable treatment by withholding information about our country’s true history
Julie Corso | Atlanta, GA
“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter” - teach a "lion" to write and they can change the world idea...because lions exhibit a truth that projects endurance, they never give up. They can pick up a fight with those bigger than them and lose too, but that does not bring them down. After all, it is about their survival, their pride's existence. And without the truth, knowledge & wisdom that comes from all vantage points - connecting the truths of the past with the present allows us to be more effective agents in shaping our understanding of the forces that will have an impact on our collective future.
Joe Mazerolle , NLCA
I passionately believe in what we do
Katie Vera | TUCSON, AZ
It is an offense to our students to presume they are so ignorant as not see the injustice in our society, and they deserve an explanation for its existence, and they deserve the opportunity to put things to right.
Fernand Samsa DE
Margaret Saunders | Cincinnati, OH
I want our children to know the truth about their heritage.
Tara Micham | Kansas City, MO
the truth must be told in order to truly understand the events as they ACTUALLY occurred. For students of all background to know how and why we are where we are today.... for people to be accountable for their actions... to learn, to open the door to communication and growth. So I can sleep at nights knowing I've done my best... my part, to educate in truth.
Hinda Joy Laury | Bellmead
Michael Gearin | Long Beach, CA
Ashleigh Howard | Kinston, NC
It is my responsibility.
Hannah Resseger | Providence, RI
I have been a proponent of teaching truth since junior high and I won’t lie to my students. They deserve to know what has happened and continues to happen in our country.
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.