Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
deb thomas | Lebanon, PA
as a parent and professional I am re-educating myself as I move through the deep feelings of betrayal that I have been taught my whole life a whitewashed version of America. I cannot be still and allow my own children and all of us to be fed an untrue version of both the past and the present. I want to get involved and be an ally and an advocate. The systemic oppression in current life cannot be changed until we talk, teach, and learn the truth of our past. “nobody's free until everybody's free.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Rita Rhodes | Richwood, OH
In order for children to be our nation's future, they need to be well informed about our past. We all learn from our mistakes and successes. Let our future be well informed so our nation's mistakes won't be repeated and our successes be increased. In order for this to happen we need to have honest inclusive, authenticity, discussions and lessons in our classrooms.
Makaila Lyons | Wareham, MA
Fred Merwin | Springfield, OR
I have over 28 years in the classroom. Howard Zinn transformed my thinking, based on evidence, and changed the way I saw my students and the world. We must admit the very act of telling the truth about history is, in itself revolutionary.
Denise Vertucci | Hilton Head Island, SC
Nicholas Rabb | Somerville, MA
It is imperative that we tell the truth about how race has always structured systems of control and domination in this nation. Especially now, as the powerful react to propagandize and legislate to criminalize the truth, we are in a moment that demands courage -- speaking the truth and making clear the tactics of repression.
Elizabeth Campbell | Denver, CO
systemic racism is real NOW and our country's history created it
Molly Aalyson | New York, NY
It is only through and honest examination of our history that we can avoid the mistakes of the past and benefit from examples of heroism
Anthony Haynes | Pullman, WA
It's all about teaching THE truth not MY truth. In unity as students and teachers, we embark down this path, struggling for the truth, not being afraid to question what happened and where we are today. By empowering students to think critically and divergently we can build a better future for all of us.
Genise McGregor | Cave Creek, AZ
Education is not about telling you only the things you are already comfortable with.
Jennifer Perrine | Portland, OR
Tim McGinnis | Saint Louis, MO
Facts are stubborn things
Andrea Moore | Sacramento , CA
We need to DE-Colonize the Classroom.
Matt Hubbard | Saint Louis, MO
the dominant narrative perpetuates exploitation and oppression.
Alexis Scangas | Rutland, VT
choosing what truth teach means ignoring humanity and abandoning empathy and compassion
Amy Zanghi | Portland, ME
Ignorance is harmful
Mary Bracken | Monte Rio, CA
public education is the cornerstone of democracy and that foundation must be built upon a solid grounding in truth and justice.
Raymond Pultinas | Bronx, NY
I believe the best education is honest and built on the yearning for truth and justice.
Kimberly Caputo | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
I will tell the truth about our history. We must learn from our past and push for every American to have liberty and justice for all.
Marla Prochnow | Visalia, CA
I teach facts.
Sal Stow | Round Rock, TX
It is important that students understand and are aware of how the inequalities continue to be a reality. I believe that to move forward we have to learn from the mistakes so we can do better. Understanding perspective and truth is crucial. Erasing doesn't take away that it happened, it simply puts a band aid and amplifies the hurt and inequalities that people suffer.
Vaso Thomas | Long Beach, NY
I want my black and brown students to be heard and valued!
Emily Mayer | Bluffton, SC
William R Boyer | Detroit, MI
The new McCarthyism from both the right and the left seeks to crush dialogue crucial to critical and creative thinking.
Janiece Mackey | Aurora, CO
I am an educator, parent and race scholar activist who works with the next generations of BIPoC youth.
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.