#TeachTruth: National Teach-in for Truth About Systemic Racism & Sexism in U.S. Curricula

Classrooms are a primary battlefield for the current attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the teaching of truth. In recent months, lawmakers in over two dozen states have attempted to regulate how teachers can discuss racism, sexism, and issues of equality and justice.

Whether you’re an educator, a student, a parent, or an organization — your support is critical. AAPF has teamed up with Black Lives Matter at School and other partners to bring you #TeachTruth National Day of Action/Year of Purpose in honor of George Floyd’s birthday on October 14th through our #TruthBeTold Campaign.

Join our National Teach-in on October 14 beginning at noon PT (3 PM ET).

When: Birthday of George Floyd on Oct. 14, 2021 @ noon PT

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtc-6oqjksHdNOBl-ni2WkCtu7JCEF9cOT

PROGRAM:

Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw on What’s Behind the Attacks on CRT

Panel on Faculty Senate Resolution Campaign with Professors Emily Houh, Jennifer Ruth,
and Valerie Johnson

Breakout Sessions:

A. Exposing the Disinformation Grift about Academic Freedom and “Viewpoint Diversity”
B. Get Your Laws Off My Syllabus: Using Shared Governance to Fight Back
C. Doing DEI on Campus Using a CRT Lens
D. Know your Rights to Teach Truth in K-12
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THE #TruthBeTold CAMPAIGN

https://www.aapf.org/truthbetold

After unprecedented global protests for racial justice that followed the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, right-wing groups across America instigated and intensified well-funded, orchestrated disinformation campaigns against critical race theory, intersectionality, and other forms of racial and gender justice discourse.

Starting with Donald Trump’s Equity Gag Order banning federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients from conducting trainings and programs that address systemic racism and sexism, this campaign has now morphed into a full-on war against racial and gender justice itself.

As of September 2, 2021, twenty-seven states have introduced some form of gag order measure with respect to racial justice, critical race theory, and the teaching of racial injustice in American history, with fourteen states having fully passed some version of them.

Twenty-four states have introduced some form of gag order with respect to teaching concepts related to gender justice and equality among sexes. Seven states have introduced legislation to specifically ban teaching the New York Times’ 1619 Project, and six have introduced bills either imposing “patriotic education” or demanding access to public schools for “patriotic youth societies.”

Following the blueprint of Trump’s EO 13950, eleven states have introduced equity gag orders that prohibit equity trainings for government entities, workforces, contractors, and grant recipients. Meanwhile twenty-six states have introduced equity gag bills targeting public schools (many of which also apply to universities and colleges). West Virginia and Montana have even gone as far as to make teaching “divisive concepts” related to systemic racism grounds for human rights complaints.

Across the country, this moral panic over what and how we learn about history has led to teachers being fired and courses canceled. Parents have been deceived, tensions have been stoked, and over a half century of efforts to amend the misleading narratives about our history are being reversed.
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TRUTH BE TOLD: A CALL TO ACTION

K-12 EDUCATORS

We invite K-12 educators to join us in A Day of Action and the kick-off to BLM at School’s Year of Purpose by uploading a lesson about structural racism that you will teach on October 14th. We also invite educators to take the pledge to teach the truth. And show your support for our October 14th Call to Action by completing our endorser form.

Go to: https://www.aapf.org/truthbetold-call-to-action

Pledge: https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/pledge-to-teach-truth


EDUCATORS in HIGHER EDUCATION

We invite Higher Ed educators to read and sign our Higher Ed Faculty Open Letter. We encourage you to review the examples of faculty senate resolutions, engage in using the senate resolution template, and consider adopting similar language at your own university.

Go to: https://www.aapf.org/truthbetold-call-to-action

To sign the Open Letter, please use this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSep4pM60lpguxRtTGXlmv1SMOG9qOWHflT_0wu-gv6I0Z7t4Q/viewform

Examples: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CXnJrfIs7cGOuNdu5DCK9WIybmyVFRDb/view

Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbYF3KscDXmJyckjPc0CZIocJxk1hJd7/edit
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