Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Nubia Gerima | Washington, DC
Our students deserve to know true history. It’s the only way the nation will progress racially.
Michael Misciagna | Philadelphia, PA
Wes Oswald | Tucson, AZ
We can learn from the past and become a better society.
Jennifer Courtney-Keyse | Denver, CO
ALL of my students should be taught THE TRUTH!
Nekoda Garbes | Waterloo, IA
I believe in teaching the truth and teaching real honest history.
Cathy Nostrand | Portland, OR
we need to see society and the past more clearly in order to impact and change the present for the better of all.
Mel Katz | Monmouth Junction, NJ
Dr. Brittany C. Vinson (DD)(h.c.) | Madison, AL
I am honored to be an International Orator/Advocate with a readiness to rage. My special needs family are subject to and victims of UNCONSTITUTIONAL behaviors from a SYSTEM WHO CRIES WOLF..... HOW MANY MORE FAMILIES ARE OUT THERE...HONESTLY, a local school district, judicial system and community INTRODUCED ME to THEIR FIELD! Government Officials have turned a deaf ear, a blind eye dehumanizing citizens deliberately. Such are unethical mannerisms that are insidious and unjust. Most are intimidated by autonomous citizens..... they prey and plot against individuals maliciously and murderously. Sadly, most get away with doing such a thing!HOWEVER, there is a SLIM chance suspects are held accountable and found GUILTY! “Her soul is eager with a readiness to rage, yet humble as she conveys. Such eloquence unites and creates an integral impact leading to a NATION under GOD. With liberty and justice for all. I am The Matriarch of the Nation,Dr. Brittany C. Vinson (DD)(h.c.)
Michelle Tooson | Marietta, GA
It matters
Leanne Haghighi | San Jose, CA
All students deserve to be taught the truth, for we are doomed to repeat history when we are ignorant to our past.
Anne Greer | Mesa, AZ
We need to be better people, not a bunch of White-washers of history. You can stop us from teaching about racism but obviously that won't change the fact that you are a bunch of racists!
lauren Atkinson | Greenbank, WA
I believe we must teach the truth of our history to understand the present, to inform and reimagine our future. A future that supports the health and well-being of all beings, including Mother Earth.
sarah chrosniak | INDIAN VALLEY, VA
Rey Horowitz | New York, NY
our students deserve our honesty in naming the impact of our racist history on the present.
Jordan Dietrich | Elk Grove, CA
Dan'etta Jimenez | Cambria Heights, NY
Jessica Wainman | Denver, CO
I will never lie to my students, knowingly. I will do all that I can to ensure that they know the truth: that white supremacy is in the air and we need to fight against it.
Michaela Caldwell | Corvallis, OR
Laura Roth | Spring City, PA
We all need to teach the true history so we do not repeat it!
Scott Springer | Blue Hill Town of, ME
When we learn essential truths (of history, climate, self-development) taught with honest self-reflection, opportunities for conversation, and hope for transformation, our society is strengthened, our society becomes a nourishing place for our young to grow, our society has a sustainable purpose. That is why I teach.
John Ward | Wilmette, IL
Let the chips fall and let all history lead us where it leads. This may be the bravest thing we ever do.
Nicollette Ruiz | Brooklyn, NY
Students need to know the truth in order to engage in critical thinking about the world around them!
Heather Mulford | West Vincent Twp, PA
It’s ridiculous that I feel the need to sign this! How can anyone think it’s appropriate to avoid the uncomfortable historical events of the United States when educating our youth? History can be very ugly - but it’s through learning, discussing & applying critical thinking skills to our students that we can grow as a nation. Ignoring the uncomfortable topics creates a dangerous precedent of false Nationalism & a generation of students that are incapable of positive growth & critical communication skills.
Caol Conti | Blackstone, MA
How can we understand our nation today if we don't acknowledge all aspects of our past?
Danielle Grodek | 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.