Portland Courant

Critical Race Theory will be taught by one more teacher in Portland, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 273 pledges from Portland teachers by the end of the week ending Sept. 25.

They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.

Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.

Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.

Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.

In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon, Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Michael Rooney	We must understand our past to move forward and build coalitions among diverse groups of people. We must that understand how our societal systems have harmed some while benefitting others.
Francine Buker	The facts are the facts. We need to operate from known facts in order to preserve our democracy and to create a just and equitable earth for all human beings.......so we can move humanity forward in compassionate love.
Caryn Anderson	Telling the truth is what our kids need to hear and deserve!
Jill Howdyshell	We are at a critical moment in history. Educators must step up to the plate to the truth, to teach in a way to acknowledge past transgressions—otherwise how can we move forward??
Alex Mojdehi	Censoring our collective history as a nation continues to injure and divide us as humans beings. Openly addressing the tragedies on which our nation was founded is a way to heal and grow, be good neighbors to each other, and prepare students for future commitments to ethical and just actions.
Tara McDowell	“no comment”
Kelli Mitchell	“no comment”
Katherine Ostrow	“no comment”
Oj Bradshaw	“no comment”
Kristen Clark	“no comment”
Samantha Trask	“no comment”
Ariel Collins	“no comment”
Alicen Gaitanis	“no comment”
Amy Schmidt	“no comment”
Shannon Dery	I saw that the Daily Wire is publishing the names and hometowns of the teachers who will not be intimidated by the Right. This is clearly an attempt at intimidation. I will not be intimidated. Add my name.
Rev. Chuck Currie Dd. Dmin. Mdiv.	“no comment”
Robert Peate	The United States were founded on genocide, slavery, racism, and oppression. Institutional racism is a glaringly obvious and defining characteristic of our society today. I will not lie to my students, no matter who wishes me to do so.
Greg Burrill	"Until Americans realize that African-American history IS American history, we will be helpless to solve many problems that plague us."-James Baldwin
Molly Renauer	I work for equity
Amy Lindahl	There is no better future without learning the truth of our past and present.
Daniel Kumprey	My pledge is this: "I refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events — regardless of the law."
Dr. Tina Lageson	We should always teach the truth….the good, the bad, the inequities…so we can all work to make improvements with clear knowledge!
Paul Sheprow	My students, all of my students, deserve the truth.
Barron Barron	Students deserve truth. Many know when we're lying to them.
Melissa Blount	My students deserve to know their own histories, and I will not censor the collection of topics in our school library to appease those afraid of learning the truth.
Heidi Earle	teaching students to become critical thinkers is my job
Sarah Jackson	Our children deserve to know the truth.
Kathy Diamond	We cannot continue to whitewash history
Tyler Riggs	“no comment”
Marie Taylor	history matters.
Christopher Naze	“no comment”
James Zartler	“no comment”
Beth Gardner	We have to learn from the mistakes we have made if we hope to avoid repeating them in the future. Only when we are honest about the state of things can we improve them for our historically marginalized communities.
Lora Worden	our students deserve, not only to learn the truth about our history, but to learn to critically evaluate information so they can decide for themselves what is accurate, what is reliable, what is authentic. Our students need critical thinking skills to be active, engaged, and informed citizens in our democracy. Additionally, our students deserve to hear from multiple perspectives in historical and contemporary events (in all stories and all areas of life!). This helps our students develop empathy, which is also an essential skill. Our students deserve to hear the whole story of our history so they can decide for themselves how they think and feel about it and decide for themselves what kind of citizen they want to be and what kind of country they want.
Whitney Alfrey	Students need to be taught to draw their own conclusions after being presented with multiple perspectives of an issue.
Elizabeth Israel-Davis	my students deserve the truth. They deserve to see their culture and language as an asset. They deserve to know that their families and ancestors built the wealth and power of this nation and that they deserve that wealth and power fully. They deserve to see the systems which were purposely built to keep them from that wealth and power so that they can dismantle them. I will teach the truth for this generation so that they can teach it to generations to come.
Beth Levin	students want to know the truths about U.S. history, not a literally "whitewashed" version that erases the effects of slavery or other atrocities.
Jarmila Darby	“no comment”
Robert Kaneko	“no comment”
Drew Robinson-Woods	The brutal history of our country must be taught that so oppression can end. This is the foundation for change, we must admit what happened.
Jessica Loomis	history is about cause and effect. We are not in a post-racial society. The harm caused in the past is harm lived through today. We study history to understand ourselves and what we are capable of and to understand who we are today. We study history to better understand inequities and injustice that exist today. We study history so that we can have a better future for our children.
Keri Troehler	I don't want students to actually live in George Orwell's 1984.
Rhett Savage	I think it is important to let teachers teach.
Jennifer Fullilove	All of our students deserve to know the truth of our history, based on facts that represent all of us.
Alethea Work	Teaching the truth matters. We can not let legislatures make reality illegal to discuss and teach.
Alexis Abrams	Only by learning about the injustices perpetrated by our country's institutions and examining still-present systemic racism can we move toward healing divisions and building a more humane future.
Marta Repollet	Students have a right to learn the truth of our past in order to better shape their future.
John Nimmo	Teachers have an ethical responsibility to share the truth with young children and to support them in making sense of the society around them. Children have a deep sense of fairness and want to be change makers.
Kari Lindstrom	there is a difference between opinion and fact and as a teacher it is my job to teach the facts the best that I can. I was not taught the facts and have had to relearn so much over the years. We can only get better, do better and be better when we know what happened in the past so we don't repeat or continue racist actions and beliefs.
Kayla Gulbranson	The truth is important; and if I expect my children to tell the truth, then so should we.
Cathy Nostrand	we need to see society and the past more clearly in order to impact and change the present for the better of all.
Krista Martin	Truth matters. Hiding the true story has gone on long enough.
Brooke Warren	“no comment”
Sarah Peters	Education is the only remedy to ignorance and hate
Kim Malolepsy	The truth matters and it needs to be taught!
Karl Gardner	I believe in teaching history.I believe in listening to people's storiesI believe in the lived experiences of those who experience a life different than my own.I believe truth matters.I believe in teaching empathy.I believe you cannot teach empathy while denying the lives of those you teach.I believe that denying history, statistics, studies, and the lives of those impacted by inherent racist structures is to be teaching hate and indifference.And I believe in teaching love.So listen.
Harriet Wingard	“no comment”
Jesse Dobson	“no comment”
Marlena Maestas	My team and I have developed/taught and we thread knowledge through all learning that is based on the historical and present truth of racism, fair trade, immigration, gender identity and houslessness. We have been told consistently that 5 and 6 years old are too young to discuss these topics. We disagree and know that children of all ages need to be told the truth and have the opportunity to discuss what they see, hear, think and know what actions they can take.
Shannon Foxley	As a country we have been actively white washing history to stay within a narrative that supports white dominance. Our students deserve better. They deserve the truth.
Alyson Battistel	Truth leads to reckoning. Reckoning leads to healing.
Andrea Anderson	Teaching historical facts is our job as educators; denying students the opportunity to learn the truth is censorship and inhibits the development of crucial critical thinking skills.
Michelle Nicola	We cannot heal and unite as a nation unless we first teach and talk about the truth of our history.
Beth Raisman	“no comment”
Summer Thompson	“no comment”
Holly Cullom	I am committed to teaching the truth about our history and exposing present realities about how people are oppressed in this country due to their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, religion, immigration status, and other identifying factors.
Marianne Lowery	“no comment”
Herb Jahncke	Politics should not dictate education.
Samia Estassi	I believe we need bold action to begin to dismantle the racist systems in place in education and the entire county.
Emory Oeding	Students come to school to learn and be empowered by truth and knowledge, by accurate information that affects their lives, their families' lives and their communities, by true stories that can lead to change, growth and justice.
Claire Garrott	“no comment”
Susan Vasher	It’s our duty to teach the truth and stop the trauma of a racist America.
Nicholas Kapranos	“no comment”
Sarah Atkinson	“no comment”
Ellie Graiziger	If we are ever going to live beyond White Supremacy, we are going to have to acknowledge it exists. White families, teachers, administrators, and students need to get over their fragility and personal guilt which prevents all of us from working within reality towards a better future for everyone. When we deny things exist, we continue to oppress those who feel its affects every day by denying their full existence.
Chelsea Rowell	We need to teach our students how to be anti-racist and exhibit this ourselves. We need to teach the truth!
Alyssa Reed-Stuewe	Students and educators who self identify as Black and Brown deserve to express pain and loss at the atrocities of slavery and climate change, just as Jews and other groups targeted by Nazis deserve to express their pain and loss about the Holocaust. Our country cannot heal until the majority of Americans acknowledge that this historical oppression was an atrocity, kids can’t get to that point if we are forced to lie about the nationally sanctioned threats to Black lives, or threats to Brown lives. The American people are not homogenous and neither is our history
Maggie Byrkit	Only fully informed youth can change our future.
Marcelle Valladares	“no comment”
Vanessa Holmgren	“no comment”
Lisa Davidson	We should all be truth seekers. As an educator I am obligated, by nature and job, to educate and facilitate learning. I will NOT hold back truths or knowledge.
Michal Otten	I was educated in this country and am learning more on my own as an adult about the real history of this country than I did in over 12 years of history classes. We need to teach the full truth, even and especially when it is painful and uncomfortable, in order to learn from our mistakes and build a stronger future. That is the only way we will truly tear down the white supremacist structures that continue to hold people of color back.
Jessica Sawyer	“no comment”
Elyse Newport	"If we do not live an examined life, we do not grow." Jason Reynolds.
Lissa Feldman	It is easier to teach the truth at a young age than teach the truth to adults who have been lied to all their lives! And young people need to learn the truth so we can create a just world where racism is no longer able to thrive.
Nicolas Furtado	I want to give students the education that they deserve.
Sally Grant	“no comment”
Amy Larosa-Peters	All students need to hear all the hard history of white supremacy
Mark Hansen	A just world will only come from a shared understanding of what has been and what is possible.
Lindsey Harrah	Students deserve the truth.
Tara West	our children deserve to know the truth in the hopes that it will make the future better for all of us.
Holly Salvatore	“no comment”
Maggie Michaels	“no comment”
Chelsea Blair	“no comment”
Karen Margolis	“no comment”
Chris Snyderbrown	“no comment”
Alicia Nicholl	Student deserve to and need to hear the whole history of all citizens. From the very beginning, students must know the truth, including the often horrific and systemic oppression of everyone who wasn’t a white well-to-do male.
Ashley Muncie-Jarvis	The truth about our history is the only way to work towards dismantling white supremacy.
Caryn Anderson	Our students deserve to know the truths that exist in our nation’s history, not just through a white cultured lens.
Sarita Flores	“no comment”
Ty Brack	“no comment”
Francine Buker	The truth will set you free!
Bonnie McBee	The truth is power
Melissa Lim	“no comment”
Kevin Crotchett	“no comment”
Megan Boyeas	“no comment”
Meghan Kahn	The history of where we all have come from is imperative to deal with the inequities. We must learn how we got here to improve
Ginger Taylor	The truth of history matters!
Elaine Ferrell-Burns	As a semi-retired teacher-librarian who remains passionate in educating are youth using accurate information, I fully support the right to do so.
Melissa Sabga	“no comment”
Joel Ford	Teachers need to be supported and protected to teach the truth.
Samaah Mohammed	for the truth to be told
Jessica Blei	“no comment”
Alisa Harvey	“no comment”
Catherine Tucker	teaching about racial equity and social justice is a human right and needs to be weaved into education.
Bettina Mow	I taught for 25 in California and my last year teaching I was asked not talk about the rise of fascism and students and administration were taken aback when I spoke up about first amendment rights and the right that Colin Kaepernik had to kneel. I felt the system was racist and students of color were ignored.
Margaret Descamp	We cannot grow as a country, and create the democracy we were promised, unless we honestly analyze the mistakes our forefathers made, so we can learn from them.
Kelli Joy	Our students deserve to learn the truth so they don't make the same mistakes we made.
Monica Semeria	my students deserve the truth. This country needs the truth in order to become the great nation it says it is.
Athena Andrews	“no comment”
Chris Lodore	“no comment”
Leesa Ferguson	All Lies Matter, Our children deserve to learn the truth. Period.
Heather Mathewson	“no comment”
Jennifer Kuhn	I care about my students knowing the truth about our country so we can build a better future for all.
Jane Strugatsky	“no comment”
Carolyn Blum	“no comment”
Rachel Hanes	I don't want to lie to my students. I want my students to understand the complexity of our history so they can uphold the ideals of liberty and justice for all that we have yet to make a reality for all members of our society.
Tim Swinehart	“no comment”
Brennan Brockbank	“no comment”
Natasha Beck	I'm a veteran social justice organizer,multi-disciplinary educator,and writer who knows we must continue to speak truth to power and,in the words of the late John Lewis,"make good trouble."
Leo Theythem Soell	All students deserve to understand real histories rather than oppressive whitewashed curriculum. BIPOC, queer, trans, immigrant, poor, and all oppressed identities matter and have been erased since colonization. I will teach the truth because that is my job as a teacher.
Nathan Beck	Truth matters.
Mauria McClay	“no comment”
Franki Dennison	Lies are always more dangerous than the truth. Equity depends on the truth.
Sarah Mykkanen	We can't build a better future if we don't teach students the truth of the past.
Leah Starr	It's time for ALL teachers of ALL content areas to include explanations of how systemic racism affects not only the local education systems that we teach in but the larger systems of politics and economics that we are preparing our students to participate in.
Kelly Greenberg	“no comment”
Mary Watkins	“no comment”
Audrey Patterson	“no comment”
Kealy Barrow Strange	“no comment”
Jessica Paul	Denying the ugly truth of America's history is not what unifies us, it's what continues to divide us. The truth is what sets us free. Teaching our history and giving justice and opportunity to those harmed by it is our only way forward.
Melissa Immesoete	We are stronger together on a foundation of truth.
Elicia Blackford	“no comment”
Jennifer Edelson	Education is authentic and needs the truth, no matter how inconvenient to some.
Allison Newton	I stand for human rights and justice. I will not let the history of the human experience in our country continue to be edited to keep white people in power and to make them feel comfortable, justified, or innocent. In solidarity- Allison
Jackson Mowe	When students find truth amongst nation-sized myths it nourishes a hopeful future.
Megan Oleary	“no comment”
Garrett Mattson	Our K-12 history has been to ignore the depth and breadth of how this nation has systemically discriminated against BIPOC people.
Janet Olsson	Our students, including my own children, deserve to know the truth of our country’s racist past and the role it has played in our country’s racist present. We cannot fix what we do not see.
Katherine Kondylis	Anti-racist teaching requires us to face the truth of our history and it's continued negative impact on marginalized groups. My students deserve to not only know the truth of the past, but also strategies to resist oppression and role models who look like them and have changed the world for the better!
Anne Laufe	“no comment”
Cathy Skach	I care about preserving the TRUTH!
Aarika Elwer	People, including my students, deserve to know that history is not a monolith.
Kristin Irwin	We must teach the truth in order to dismantle white supremacy and systematic racism.
Gina Azzaro-Budak	“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!” -George Santayana 1905
Kristin Werts	“no comment”
Maricruz Padilla	Teaching people's history will improve people's future in the United States of America.
Christi Lossner	“no comment”
Jo Lane	I am committed to teaching my students their whole history and truth.
Tamara O'Malley	I believe in telling the truth and acknowledging past and present wrongs so we can attempt to heal them.
Leeanne Heuberger	If we are not able to teach and address our complete history we will never move forward as a nation.
Megan Kendall	“no comment”
Brandy Takacs	I am one of few teachers of color in Oregon. Erasing our Truth from History is erasing who we are as people. All sides of an issue should be viewed in our History.
Mercedes Munoz	I am tasked with helping to shape the future, one student at a time. If I cannot teach them to think critically and examine history--- how can I hope to see new outcomes? We cannot lie about the history of the United States.
Tara Straubinger	“no comment”
Shannon Hennrich	I am a social justice warrior of 22 years with twice Exceptionalities myself. I have been teaching truth since the 80s and will continue til my last breath.
Ryan Shipe	Unless kids understand the reality of the our world they will be ill equipped to work towards making it better.
Audrienne Manansala	“no comment”
Dori Isakson	“no comment”
Anjanette Hawksford	all students should learn the true US History.
Jennifer Hellman	I am a committed anti racist, social justice educator. I stand in solidarity with all teachers who are committed to teaching the truth of U.S. History and the role of white supremacy in order to work to dismantle systemic racism.
Eric Levine	I teach truth!
Stephanie Yelder-Stovall	Children deserve to learn the truth, and be empowered w/knowledge.
Alisha Chavez-Downing	I refuse to lie to my students about the truth! It is important to teach about the racist past and present that exists in our country.
Morgan Martinez	“no comment”
Gregory Sotir	“no comment”
David Scholten	Exposing the indoctrination that education systems have been founded upon and continue today is not itself indoctrination. It’s time to be less defensive because educators are being attacked for teaching the truth.
Britte Marsh	Black Lives Matter.
Rosalie Leishman	“no comment”
Kiah Johnson Mounsey	“no comment”
Andrea Van Hagen	“no comment”
Margie Arac	We should be teaching the truth as we know it and not whitewashed history.
Jennifer Lowery	Silence=Violence. The truth will out.
Shawndra Roberts	Our country will never move forward or grow if we continue to erase and ignore the true history of how white supremacy is so deeply embedded in every aspect of our society.
Tereza Bottman	Having grown up in a country controlled by a totalitarian regime, I take very seriously the threat of censorship, and any infringement on academic freedom and freedom of speech. I vehemently oppose the targeting of educators committed to teaching historically accurate content while instilling in their students the ability to think critically about the subject matter and the world around them. Like countless other educators, I oppose these draconian laws and attacks, and refuse to let these tactics intimidate me into silence.
Sadie Adams	I refuse to lie to students about the history of this nation. It is important to look at the true history of the U.S., not the white-washed version that has been presented historically, if we are going to move forward and make progress toward equality as a country.
Kristin Teigen	Banning real history and true stories won't ever be ok. Students deserve to have the full picture of their history and current realities taught to them -- and I won't ever stop.
Liz Davidson	Students expect the truth. Only through the truth can we build a more just and equitable future for everyone.
Luke Griffin	I believe in teaching the truth, even if it is hard for some to hear, to help right the wrongs and so we can have a better future.
Amanda Alonso	“no comment”
Allison Haight	My students, and the society at large, deserve to know the truth.
Elizabeth Maxon	It is wrong to attempt to erase history and to deny young children their right to know the truth of oppressive systems in this country.
Ben Goodwin	The truth matters.
Katja Freeborn	My parents grew up in Germany in the early 1930s. Fascism rises from ignorance. We cannot afford to go the way of Nazi German here in America. We have come too far to fall back. As Germany has, America must face its racist history. We must teach OUR true history, so each generation can become more wonderful than the last.
Manker B.	All voices and perspectives are welcomed and supported in my classroom. I will not be silenced by bigoted, racist, uninformed lawmakers.
Laur Muth	“no comment”
Elizabeth Held	“no comment”
Rebecca Halbig	“no comment”
Vanessa Grant Coats	The racist history of the United States continues to disproportionately effect Black, Indigenous, and other youth of color. Youth deserve to be heard, seen, and validated in all areas of their lives. The only way our history and society can change is through knowledge and healing; we can do neither when systems continue to burry the past and not acknowledge the history of our country.
Mary O'Hara	I believe in a better future and that learning from the past is one of the ways to get there.
Christa Kaainoa	“no comment”
Lindsay Gebbie	“no comment”
Sarah Broderick	“no comment”
Betsy Thornewood	My students deserve the truth.
Emily Armgardt	It's important that students understand the historical events and decisions that set the ground work for our current events. Teachers need to tell the truth and be able to expose the racism, sexism, and ableism (to name a few) inherent in the fabric of American life.
Mary Mahorney	“no comment”
Karen Liao	“no comment”
Adolfo Garza	I will teach truth, love, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, reconciliation and how to survive in our changing times.We cannot move forward if we do not understand our past, and the knowledge passed down by our ancestors. We are human, we make mistakes, and we must learn to right any wrongs and move on. There are stages to understanding Race, class, and institutions that uphold a system of white supremacy from the very beginning of the declaration of independence. all men are created equal.
Heather Siegfried	I am signing this pledge because teaching about racism does not make people more racist. I grew up where only my parents taught me lessons about racism, but I did not here it being addressed in school, where it should be taught. I endured years of racism from my peers and teachers, because of their lack of education about the history and effects of racism in the United States. Talking about race and racism does not make people more racist or even more divided. It can bring us together and help us realize the historical struggles faced by people that helped our country become more democratic. Banning this curriculum taught to children is a violation of the 1st Amendment.
Erewyn Remington	I know that a just and sustainable future depends on future generations having hte best available knowledge about how we got here today.
Katie Gillard	“no comment”
Samantha Trask	Children deserve to learn the truth.
Jerri Walker	I believe it is vital to our country and the future generations that they know the truth. It is time to heal this country, and begin the necessary steps to make that happen. Voting in laws to force teachers to lie about the history of our country and hide the information about itś oppressive systems that have been in place for 2.5 centuries is appalling!
Sandra Childs	Reality and history do not disappear if we ignore it. To create a more just society and create a thriving democracy, we must educate students to see and understand all aspects of our history, our government. To improve on something we must see it for what it is. Paying attention to both the dominant voices and the silenced ones promotes dialogue and compassion.
Christy Thomas	I am a professional and I believe I have the skills to navigate difficult conversations about our world.
Jackie Jaffe	I believe that it is through education and appreciation, that we can make change and create a world that values all of us.
Terri Howard	Teaching real history and not a white washed version is critically important. If you don't understand history, you are destined to repeat it.
Sunshine McFaul	It is imperative that we stop whitewashing history. It is disgusting to me that I wasn't given accurate information when I was a student, and I refuse to be complicit any more.
Stephen Siegel	Systemic racism exists. Period. White supremacy is baked into our history and continues to negatively impact our students and their families today. Awareness is the first step toward ending it. Education = Awareness + Empowerment.
Mehira Lozano	We all deserve to know the truth.
Dr. Tina Lageson	I want my students to be part of a better world. A world where everyone is valued equally. We must be honest about our history and how our society has been and continues to be structured. We must be honest about our systemic issues. Only through critical thinking and understanding of where we are as a society, can we begin to change.
Ami Fox	failure to teach history accuracy ensures that we are doomed to repeat and perpetuate a society that is not one that bends toward the ark of justice.
Keith Barger	We can only make our country better if we own up to our past errors and see their impact on the present. Truth-telling also gives my class an authenticity. It allows my students to see a role model of truth.
Mary Holland	Everyone deserves education based on objective truths. Fear and ignorance cripple societies and allow greed to rule.
David Ingerson	“no comment”
Rey Yagolnikov	The truth is vital to humanity.
Kim Malolepsy	I fully support these ideas.
Moe Yonamine	all of our students deserve to be empowered with the real history, to develop their own critical thinking and to learn from the past so they can build a more just future.
Jeremy Buxton	“no comment”
Ashley Brooks	Our students deserve to know the truth about American history, even (especially) the ugly parts. Our history is what makes our country what it is today, for better or for worse. How will be make our society better if we do not know the root causes of injustice?
Stacie Tew	It is important that students hear the truth about our history. We will never live up to the promise of liberty and justice or all if we aren’t honest about what that means. I love My country and the values of espouses. I want to teach critical thinking skills to my students and help them fight for a true democracy that represents the rights of all of it’s citizens.
Emily Crum	history in the fullest ways needs to be taught and heard, even if that history is painful.
Elissa Dingus	I believe in teaching accurate, undoctored history. Students deserve to know the origins of our country and our government. There is no benefit that comes from telling untruths or fabricating “nice versions” of harmful history.
Alain Millar	My students and my children deserve a world where we are trying to improve all people's lives, not just the entrenched powers.
Joshua Weiner	Hiding the truth does make it, or the impacts it has on us and our students, go away.
Greg Qualey	You can't legislate your way out of reality
Hyung Nam	we need to teach the unwhitewashed truth.
Suzanna Kassouf	Truth-telling in education is the most powerful tool that we have to create a just, equitable, and compassionate world. When the law serves as a tool to uphold inequality and oppression, it is our duty as educators to defy these immoral laws. Our students deserve the truth.
Sarah Falcon	“no comment”
Richard Sossel	I am a student of history, as well as a teacher of history. I believe, in the words of Carl Schurz. that "...the American people will prove themselves ... too wise not to detect the false pride or the dangerous ambitions or the selfish schemes which so often hide themselves under that deceptive cry of mock patriotism: 'Our country, right or wrong!'They will not fail to recognize that our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: 'Our country - when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.'"
Nia Johnson	“no comment”
April Lacombe	“no comment”
Molly Kerns	“no comment”
Christa Weiler	Our country’s history needs to be true and honest so we can all learn from the past, gain more empathy, and make better decisions moving forward
Olson Miller	Absence of TRUTH makes us all not just part of a lie, but LIARS! My children and yours deserve the truth.
Carolyn Claridge	“no comment”
Jennifer Brennock	This is important.
Megan Oleary	Teaching the truth is my right.
Robbin Isaacson Deweese	Students have a right and a need to be taught truth, however uncomfortable. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santayana)
Leanne Forsberg	Teaching our true history, as opposed to a white-washed one, will help raise a conscientious and critically-thinking generation that knows, sees and works to dismantle systemic racism!
Susan Eisman	I care deeply about justice. There is no way our country can move forward w/o acknowledging the various oppressions that are firmly rooted in our country’s past and present.
Kathleen Gutierrez	Children deserve to know the truth.
Mario Peri	I will not lie to my students. Young people need to understand all actors in US and World History, not just a narrow interpretation that favors white privilege.
Eric Swehla	It’s not just that the students need to be honestly taught to be critical thinkers, it’s that everyone in our society will benefit from a future filled with better businesses, better science, better medicine, better families, and better neighbors.
Marcie Brewer	We must all work actively to dismantle white supremacy in our schools, our government, and our country.
Katrina Levin	I am a white teacher who believes that we need justice for all. I teach students history and want them to learn the history of this country through the lens of those whose stories have been left out of mainstream history. This is my pledge to do what I can to empower my students.
Alison Ellsworth	We need to learn from the past and present to improve the future.
Katrina Levin	I teach Ethnic Studies.
Stephanie Haas	I grew up learning the whitewashed history of the United States. I want children to know the reality of the world they live in so they can take action, think critically about justice, and improve our world with what they know.
Keith Barger	I owe the truth to my students. The only way teaching and learning history can impact the present with any meaning is to be truthful. Only be seeing what was done can we make different choices.
Jackie Blair	“no comment”
Noah Johnson-Greenough	I believe that students should know the true history of racism and other forms of discrimination in this country, if we are truly able to heal and grow as a nation.
Susan Andree	It is so important that we protect the ability of teachers to engage in culturally responsive teaching. This includes honest history, cultural vocabulary, and affirming that all children are safe, seen, valued, and feel that they belong.
Rebecca Dumeyer	Living, loving, nurturing society can only be successful if we understand, examine, and learn truth.
Suzie Peachin	Educators don't hide the truth from students or ourselves.
Suzie Peachin	“no comment”
Liz Fouther-Branch	I am signing for those of us that became educators based on the laws that required a free and public education for all student. I also believe that our young people have a right to learn "all" of the history of the United States in order to become critical thinkers and to make decisions about the policies and practices that no longer serve the greater good of this country.
Laura Rodriguez	“no comment”
Suzanne Cooper	We have a responsibility to teach true history so that we help raise children who can change our unjust world!
Michelle Schardt	There is a huge misinformation campaign against critical race theory. If we do not teach the institutional practices that have lead us to the inequitable circumstances in our country, we will perpetrate the injustices. Critical race theory explains why there are more Black men and women incarcerated, why Black, brown and indigenous students graduate from high school at much lower rates than their white peers. If we understand more, we can do better.
Julie Whitaker	Our students have the right to truth. Educators lay the foundation of a person's knowledge of the history of a place, whether it is local, national, or global. To selectively (or naively) omit how racist ideology has and continues to powerfully influence our institutions and identities is to deny our students the opportunity to repair and rebuild those institutions as young people and in later life. Not speaking to racism and other oppressive -isms does harm to the predictably oppressed AND to those who predictably engage in oppression (whether it is with intent or not). "I didn't know" and "I never knew that" and "I never learned about that" cannot be the norm for another generation, our current students who will grow into adults. It the job of educators to inform, to teach students to critically think, and to develop a deep care for community in all of its diversity. Our young scholars need knowledge in its fullness in order to to this well.I pledge to teach the truth. The hard truth. The messy truth. The nuanced truth. I pledge to teach the truth.
Chelsea Clyde	Our youngest learners especially, should know true history as they learn to navigate our world.
Gabriel Swiderski	“no comment”