Teach Truth Messaging for Social Media and Signs

Signs | Chants | Messages

We offer a robust collection of phrases for social media, articles, signs, and chants for the Teach Truth Day of Action and all year long. Feel free to use or adapt these and write your own. Share them as text, graphics, or a short video. Find more ideas on our media guide.


Sign Ideas

This list was prepared by a group of educators in Portland, Oregon — with additions from the Zinn Education Project team.

White supremacy is divisive

I will not indoctrinate my students with White supremacy

Systemic Racism IS the Truth

Racism = Hate; Teaching about Racism = Love

Love Requires Truth

Educators for Truth

I refuse to Lie

I refuse to lie to my students

Ignorance = Hate   Teach Truth

Pledge to teach the truth!

The truth will set us free

School: a place to think

We, the teachers, say no to censorship & intimidation

Educators Rejecting Censorship

Teachers keep on teaching

The truth: essential tenet of a democracy

Truth: Essential to Democracy

Silence = Violence

Normalize Truth Telling

We, the teachers, refuse to be intimidated/silenced

McCarthy Era all over again? Hell no!

The truth over white feelings/tears

Refuse Revisionism

Which side are you on?

Whose side are you on?

Can’t be neutral on a moving train

Good teachers teach multiple perspectives. Take it or leave it

Criticality is the most important skill teachers teach

We teach criticality, not ideology

We teach critical thinking, not conformity

Criticality over conformity

#TeachTruth

Teachers won’t be bullied.

We will not be silenced.

We owe it to the children

The truth hurts. So what? No pain, no gain.

This white teacher is not threatened by the truth

Collectively we construct a new tomorrow

Ask me about the Revolution

Truth? I like it!

Say no to legislating lies!

Codify lies? Why?

Who’s afraid of the truth?

Teach the truth because perpetuating past wrongs is just . . . wrong

Truth = clarity

The kids deserve nothing but the truth

Lies are outdated, truth is in!

We love our truthtelling teachers!

We stand with the truthtellers!

It’s about time for the truth!/It’s about time to tell the truth!

Lies are for liars & deniers

Better hard truth than a lie/ life built on lies

The kids can spot a lie from a mile away

Freedom > Fascism

We want to teach about fascism – not live through it

The many will beat the money

No bullies, no billionaires

We the people — not the billionaires

Recognizing Mistakes is Necessary for Learning

Refusing to Acknowledge Failure 

Lying to children is for cowards 

Cowards Lie to Children

Comfort or Truth — Make Your Choice

Yesterday’s truth means better tomorrow 

Why lie?

Face the truth and move on/forward!

Honesty not travesty

Truth → Transformation

Truth over propaganda

So what do we want?  A revolution!

Hell yes we want a revolution!

Strong enough to face the truth!

Truth about history fuels change!

Truth fuels change!

United for democratic schools!

United for academic freedom!

The kids can handle the truth. It’s the adults!/The adults?

Students can handle Truth. Can you?

Injury to one (teacher) is injury to all

Can you stand the truth?

Why hide the truth when we can learn/grow from it?

Ideological censorship will not be tolerated!

I’m white and I can handle the truth! 

No true learning or understanding without the truth

The truth is the mirror America/the U.S. needs

Honor learning as exploration/True learning is exploration, not regurgitating prescribed facts

Hide from the truth and it will bite you in the ass

The children want to know

Legislating against teaching about structural racism is structural racism.

Why is ending racism such a debate?

Resist!

We Will Not Be Silenced

You won’t legislate equal funding for schools, but will legislate that you can’t teach about racism. 

Can’t burn all the books in the world even if you try

Don’t give into the anti-teacher propaganda

Don’t give into the propaganda

Blaming the teachers? We don’t buy it!

Young people have minds of their own. What a concept!

Hide the truth and the kids will demand it!

Hiding the truth from kids is like hiding presents they know are coming

Stop the witch hunts against anti-racist teachers!

Be brave with us/me!

Scared of the truth? I’m here to help

Honesty is the best policy

Teachers rising up

Censorship? No thanks. I learned about it in history class!

Not a fan of censorship

Fascism? No thanks. I learned about it in history class!

Public schools are the cornerstone of our democracy. Resist the slander!/smears! Resist the anti-teacher propaganda!

 

 

 

June 2022 Bainbridge Teach Truth Day of Action | Credit: Chasity Malatesta


Chants

Listen to a sample audio mp3 for the chants

Teach Truth —- No More Lies

Teachers (people/parents/students) United — will (or we’ll) never be defeated

Censorship? No thanks! I learned about it in history class!

Fascism? No thanks! I learned about it in history class!

What do we want? Truth. Where do we want it? In our schools.

You can’t run, you can’t hide. History is on our side.

The truth, The truth! The truth will set us free.

We’re here, we’re strong. We’ll tell the truth the whole year long.

So what do we want?  A revolution! When do we want it? Now!

(To the tune “If you’re Happy and you Know it)

If you refuse to be bullied, CLAP your hands (Clap twice, 1, 2)

If you refuse to be bullied, CLAP your hands

If you refuse to be bullied, and you believe in truth fully

If you refuse to be bullied, CLAP your hands

If you pledge to teach the truth, STOMP your feet (Stomp twice 1, 2)

If you pledge to teach the truth, STOMP your feet

If you pledge to teach the truth and you won’t let down our youth

If you pledge to teach the truth STOMP your feet


Songs

Teach Truth Playlist Recommendations


Graphics

We offer graphics that you can use as is or customize.

Click the image to find dozens more. Or make your own!


Messages

These sample messages can be used as social media posts before, during, and after your action. They are sorted by broad themes.

For more guidance on messaging, check out our full media guide or additional resources from GLSEN, We Make the Future, and Race Forward.

We begin with the response from an educator about why he is hosting a day of action event:

I am hosting this event:

For students, who deserve to learn accurately about our past and present. They deserve all the tools we can provide them to help them think critically about the world, so that they might be engaged citizens in it.

For educators and parents, who want the best for young people. They need our support in the face of laws that aim to stifle critical thinking and empathy.

Systemic Racism and Education

Learning about the history of race and how it informs our present helps us all become wiser and stronger

Politicians are using a caricature of diversity, equity, and inclusion to resegregate our country, rob us of our history, and censor the knowledge we need to solve our biggest challenges

We solve problems by having honest and courageous conversations about them — and then taking action

We value an honest education about race and racism in this country

Having honest and courageous conversations about systemic racism helps us achieve the promise of racial equity

Advancing racial equity will benefit us all, strengthening our neighborhoods, our cities, and our states

Inclusive education

Adapted from GLSEN

When we give our students access to supportive, inclusive, and truthful education, they thrive

All students — no matter their race, gender identity, or immigration status — deserve to be safe, comfortable, and supported in their schools so they can focus on education

Our youth are watching how we respond when politicians bully students because of their gender, race, or background

Inclusive school curriculum can act as a window for young people into the diverse world around them, as well as a mirror to reflect their own experiences and identities. All students benefit from seeing accurate representation of the diversity that makes our multicultural democracy so important.

Every student in our country — no matter their race, gender identity, or immigration status — is deserving of quality inclusive education in safe and empowering school environments, regardless of radical politicians’ ill-fated attempts to play politics with our children’s futures

We must rise up for Black and Brown, immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ youth and keep advocating for inclusive education that promotes a safe and healthy environment for all of us

Respect every child’s freedom to be themselves and pursue their dreams.

Education as the cornerstone of democracy

Adapted from GLSEN

Education that is inclusive and accurately represents the diverse world around us helps all students — no matter their race, gender identity, or immigration status — learn how to engage in our multicultural democracy

Erasing Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ issues from classrooms jeopardizes the foundation of our democracy

Without supportive and representative education, our country can never achieve the democratic ideals we aspire to

Education should equip young people with the knowledge they need to drive change in policy and in culture, and foster the confidence and compassion needed to pursue transformation in their communities

Education should inspire political activism and civic engagement in all of us. Especially at this moment, when our country is facing such vocal extremism, we must invest in our future by investing in our students’ education

Book bans and curriculum censorship

Adapted from GLSEN

Today, some politicians want to ban the conversations about race we are having in classrooms, workplaces, and in government – but by standing together we can provide every child an accurate and quality education

All students benefit from seeing accurate representation of the diversity that makes our multicultural democracy so important. Learning to understand and respect different people of different backgrounds helps prepare students to participate in our society and be stronger leaders for equity and progress for all

Book bans are a part of a larger attack on the LGBTQ+ community and communities of color from right-wing extremists

Inclusive school curriculum — including access to books about LGBTQ+ people and people of color — can act as a window for young people into the diverse world around them, as well as a mirror to reflect their own experiences and identities

We must speak out against bills that include book bans and vote for down-ballot candidates like school board members and state legislators who support inclusive education

Solutions

We know better than to give into lies that prevent us from learning our country’s true racial history and how it shapes our lives today

History shows that when we work together across our differences, we accomplish great things for ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our children

History also shows that every time we made progress on race as a country, there has been a backlash. These attacks are in response to a growing movement of people who want to play their part in addressing systemic racism

We must not be “colorblind” to the reality of systemic racism. Instead, we must be “race-conscious” in our efforts to understand and fix our country’s problems. That means directly addressing the harm that systemic racism has caused to people of color

There is benefit for everyone in addressing systemic racism. By having honest and courageous conversations about systemic racism, people of all backgrounds have come to a deeper understanding of themselves, developed stronger connections with their neighbors, and have found purpose in doing their part to build a more fair and inclusive world

As these attacks against discussing race continue and escalate, now is a vital time to express our support of learning about systemic racism — in our neighborhoods, classrooms, and workplaces

We refuse to return to the hysteria and paranoia of the McCarthy era, and we won’t let them use race, gender, and sexuality to divide and conquer us


Story Prompts

Click the images to find a variety of story prompts along with an instructional video produced by EJ-ROC at NYU Metro Center.

 


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1 comments on “Teach Truth Messaging for Social Media and Signs

  1. esther kingston-mann on

    One of the most politically empowering and transformative assignments I devised at UMassBoston was a history research project that required my racially diverse, working class students to interview Afghan (or Iraqi) war veterans over the course of the semester.
    Together, we discussed assigned readings that focused on both wars. We devised interview questions, and later brainstormed together about the issues and questions that arose during the interviews. Their interview findings were bound together in a packet, which became the basis for their research papers. A strength of this project for these predominantly working class and racially diverse students was that I (the professor) was not telling them what they should be finding; they were instead attempting to tell the untold story of the vets they interviewed. Many of them discovered that “their” vets had never before spoken to anyone about the war. The research project was enlightening and empowering both for the student interviewers and the interviewees –and for me. I have since published several books about transformative pedagogy

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