Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Kristen Cater | Seattle, WA
our learners deserve authenticity.
Jessica Crawford | Minneapolis, MN
I value the truth and shedding light on the wrongs around us so that we may all live in a more just society.
Jen Greenstein | Burien, WA
Abigail Levin | Seattle, WA
It is a moral imperative. Education must liberate with truth---otherwise we cannot call it education.
Teri Langston | Skokie, IL
Our nations true history needs to taught. History should not be a perception, but a record of the actual events.
Enid Weiss | Edison, NJ
It's the right thing to do.
Jamee Schleifer | Brooklyn, NY
Linda Morse | Uxbridge, MA
Sadly I am one of the very few who teach a year long course on African history in my region of Massachusetts to my knowledge. (I have been involved with BU's Teaching Africa Teachers Certificate for a few years) Teaching a year long course on Africa completely changed my thinking about how we teach Black history in high school and how what we leave out creates a false reality. This coming year I will be creating & teaching a new course - Civil Rights Triangulated - based on my own thinking and research in an independent study grad course - intend to help students understand how what we think of the "triangular trade" of enslavement, rum, goods, etc does not include the efforts of the black diaspora to work to end slavery, to share philosophies, etc. throughout the Atlantic World. This creates a false vision of the abilities of whites -at the expense of black people - and harms everyone.
Tanja Gubser | Moraga, CA
only by teaching the truth will this society grow and mature toward the ideals outlined in our founding documents, but not yet achieved.
Joanne Davis | Seattle, WA
Jennifer Valenzuela-Watkins | Willits, CA
The inequities in education are keeping our country divided. Let the truth be heard!!
Julia Waldroup | Salt Lake City, UT
Everyone deserves to know the truth about our country and what we have been through. My family is multicultural and we take pride in all aspects of our heritage! We will not lie about or tell half truths about our past!
Keith Brooks | Brooklyn, NY
Because teachers and other educators cannot allow ourselves to be bullied and intimidated from teaching the truths of u.s. history in this right wing assault, much of it under the cover and cudgel of the attack on critical race theory. We need to push back and fight back strong in alliance with students, parents and others against this calculated reactionary campaign of mind control and censorship!
Justin Marr | Rockland, ME
The truth shall set us free.
Emily White
Kristina Rothwell | Portland, OR
Truth matters.
Erin Reid | West Covina, CA
I am passionate about teaching the struggle and plight of all Americans; we cannot rewrite history or ignore the past; for if we do, it will become our future.
Amy Bernick | Aurora, CO
Students in all school settings deserve (and need to know) the truth about the history of the United States. Literature should reflect the diversity we see in our nation, no matter where someone attends school. We have a unique opportunity, as educators, to teach our students to be citizens and humans than previous generations.
Jamie Swain | Vacaville, CA
It is important to teach the truth to our students so we can make a world that is equal for all no matter what, and justice is served.
Rose Dumenigo | East Orange, NJ
I believe that educators have the moral obligation to teach truthful and factual information. Assuming that the information is age-appropriate, is important that we share that truth regardless of whether it makes some people uncomfortable or not. Our Black and Brown students have had to feel uncomfortable for centuries hearing that they were less than and hearing some parts of the racial injustice their ancestors have experienced. It is imperative that they also hear the true and complete story of what happened in their history so that they can understand that they have a legacy of resilience and over-coming.
Mel Ferrand | Chicago, IL
Teaching the truth helps America heal and learn from its past, allowing our country to move toward the place of justice we seek to be for all who live here.
Ghislaine Kadouno | Ijamsville, MD
I believe teaching the uncomfortable truth helps build socially responsible and knowledgeable adults.
Jamie Logan | Aurora, CO
I refuse to lie to my students. I didn’t learn the truth about US Historybwhen I was growing up. However, I know better and now I will do better.
Lindsay Eldredge Aviles | Dorchester, MA
zero carey | Rohnert Park, CA
We can’t perpetuate white supremacy and anti blackness in the classroom any longer
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.