Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
William Daniel | Englewood, CO
I am tired. I begin my day promising to work for educator respect and sustainability, for equality, and to help move public education to its ideal place as foundational to A truly democratic and humane society, constantly striving for potential and better self.
Candace Inclan | Oakland, CA
It is important for students to learn the complete history of our country.
Melissa Wakefield | Ozark, MO
This legislation is a blatant attempt at repression and suppression on the part of our government that is supposed to be protecting all of us. It would not be enforceable and would waste Missouri taxpayers' money. Please represent those who elected you with good laws, not frivolous ones like this.
Ana SuareZ | Los Angeles, CA
Kassandra Buck | Dallas, TX
The truth needs to be known.
Renae Hernandez | Los Angeles, CA
karla Contreras | Los Angeles, CA
Sascha Robinett | Los Angeles, CA
We have no choice - the future us now - we know better, now we must do better!
chris shaw | Belchertown Town of, MA
Children deserve to hear the truth
Rev. Monica Beasley-Martin | Youngstown, OH
It’s not US history unless it includes all Americans.
Robin Gayle | Chicago, IL
Contemporary curricula presents a false narrative of white supremacy as historical truth.
Margaret Griffith | Portland, OR
The laws at all levels of government have and continue to oppress people of color and immigrants in this country. To teach climate justice or environmental justice without the context of our history leaves students confused. They are unable to understand why BIPOC communities are harmed more than white communities by climate change and environmental problems. For example there are not laws in our community today that force people of color to live in the most dangerous parts of our city but the maps clearly show that they live in the most dangerous parts of our city. If I could not teach my students about the dismantling of our black community hubs by policy and law, or if I could not teach my students about the violation of Native American treaty right,s or if I could not teach my students about the inherent discrimination in the New Deal leading to racist redlining, or the Homesteading Act, or the policies of Japanese Internment, my students would have an entirely false view of how we got to where we are today.
Steven Mayers | San Francisco, CA
Tara Edwards | Santa Monica, CA
Young people need to learn about the past so they can prevent history from repeating itself and help shape a more just future.
Andrea Christensen Zdenek | Saint Paul, MN
Crystal White | Gulfport, MS
Everyone deserves to know the truth of what this country is built upon and it is not the lies some want to be told.
Kathleen Anderson | Bearsville, NY
A good teacher teaches from their own truth.When someone tells me what I can and cannot teach, I can’t be in my own truth and I can’t be in the truth of my students who are curious about things that interest them.Being constricted by laws is not teaching; it is disguised propaganda.
Lesley Younge | Silver Spring, MD
Students deserve access to the full array of American narratives and to know the facts that will help them build the future they want for themselves and their peers.
Alex Bennett | Redmond, WA
I believe that the past is not dead. We must learn from and confront our past to avoid the making the same mistakes in the future.
S C | Bellmead, TX
Teaching the true history of the US is crucial for addressing racism at its roots. Educating our children about the harsh reality of our society, country, and where it all stemmed from creates a generation that is aware and mindful about how racism plays a role in everything we do. We can prevent future racially motivated acts of terrorism, deaths, assaults, inequality and much more. Knowledge is power and we will not be rendered defenceless.
Greta de Jong | Reno, NV
I cannot accurately teach U.S. history without mentioning how imperialism, racism, and sexism shaped the development of this nation. Students are not harmed by learning the truth about past and present practices that have led to the inequitable distribution of wealth and opportunity. Instead, they are empowered to identify and work to dismantle unjust systems. It is this possibility, not the desire to protect young people, that motivates those who seek to prevent educators from teaching the truth.
Amy Long | Los Gatos, CA
The censorship of the truth and books are the roots of totalitarianism. I won't be silenced in my classroom. Let the educated teach, not politicians looking to get reelected or hysterical parents waving Bibles.
Jonathan Swan | Springfield, MA
Teaching students the true history of the United States is the only way for them to understand how the uninterrupted, repetitive cycles of disinformation, violence, and racial oppression have shaped and reshaped this country into the Divided States of America.
Ashley Williams | Sugar Hill, GA
Kira Cochran | Tonawanda, NY
The lack of social justice in this country is disgusting and heartbreaking. ALL of my students deserve to have a chance to fulfill their potential.
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.