Signatures
This is the list of people who have signed the pledge or petition to date.
Joule Bazemore
It is essential that our students are taught the truth so that they can ensure that past history doesn't repeat itself.
Cara Costigan
Annie De Rosaire , CT
Mariah Blake | Lower Burrell, PA
Removing facts from education robs young people of the ability to learn from the past to create a better future. It perpetuates racism to water down the truth.
Brooklyn College Sociologists | New York, NY
Sociologists, more than any others group, understand how lies are easily spread. The work of the sociologists demands that we tell the truth and aid students with the critical tools to defend themselves. Moreover, in this moment of growing resistance to dealing with the originals sins of American history, the sociologists must not shy away from telling the truth about our history of slavery, settler colonialism, and other deep rooted issues that stand in the way of us transforming our social institutions. “The Truth Shall Make You Free” has special meaning for us because it is the only way we can transform our culture.
Erika Niwa | New York, NY
we can only imagine and create a more just world by facing the truth of our history.
Amelia Vail , NY
Professor Meya Hargett, MA. | BAKERSFIELD, CA
Academic Freedom is essential to learning and is guarenteed by the united states supreme court. In the words of Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe’s concurring opinion in Pimentel v. Medialdea, G.R. No. 230642 (2019), “Academic freedom is anchored on the recognition that academic institutions perform a social function, and its business is conducted for the common good; that is, it is a necessary tool for critical inquiry of truth and its free exposition. Thus, the guarantee of academic freedom is complementary to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the mind.”
Laurie Rice , OR
We must teach the truth of systemic racism and oppression. How can we ever change our future if we can not learn from the past?
Mallorie Medley , NJ
It is not fair to current or future generations to have history erased or changed simply because certain people don't want to face or acknowledge it. Everyone deserves to learn the truth and have the facts about the history of our country, our society, and our world.
Matthew Pechanio | Elmhurst, IL
The right wing's attempt to whitewash history and introduce fascism in our schools must be stopped!
Norene Schreiner | Mondovi, WI
I want to stop this attack on teachers. Education in Wisconsin suffered under Governor Scott Walker due to his union-busting and funding cuts. Governor Tony Evers is investing in our schools, but I fear radical right-wing Republicans in our legislature will jump on this anti-truth bandwagon and make it more difficult to retain high quality educators. Our children require a broad liberal arts education to become critical thinkers and good contributors to our society.
MiShon Landry
I believe the truth must be told, not hidden behind mask of racism, elitism, and antisemitism.
David Mazel | Alamosa, CO
H. Jeannine Hetzler | Columbus, OH
Truth matters, justice matters. And if we don’t stand on those foundations what do we stand on?
Theressa Lenear | Kent, WA
Quality education is for everyone ... it is about equity and truth, nothing BUT the truth.
Eleana Donaldson | New York, NY
Jeannine Love
Judy Rohrer | Cheney, WA
Critical thinking is foundational to social justice and freedom
Patrick Sabongui | New York, NY
Stories shape our culture. As a professor of Drama, I recognize the importance of teaching truthful narratives surrounding our history.
Florence Sunoo | Los Angeles, CA
ALL kids should learn honest history that includes Black history with accountability.
Arnaldo Alvarez | Inglewood, CA
We need to do better, society needs to do better, it starts with one!
Steven Chovnick | New York, NY
Janine Duncan | Purdue University, IN
I believe truth matters.
Isaian Macklin | New York, NY
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.