On Saturday, June 11th, ERASE Racism held a teach-in and action, as part of a nation-wide Teach the Truth Day of Action coordinated by the Zinn Education Project.
Our event was purposefully held at the Joseph Lloyd Manor House on the north shore of Long Island, a place where enslaved Africans once lived. Our host at the site was Preservation Long Island, a nonprofit organization that celebrates and preserves Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage including the Lloyd Manor House and the knowledge about those who lived there, including the Africans who were enslaved there. Lauren Brincat, the curator of Preservation LI, taught about Jupiter Hammon, a writer and poet who was enslaved by the Lloyd family and is often considered the founder of African-American literature.
ERASE Racism organized this action along with three student organizers from our Task Force. We were joined also by parents, educators and community members to discuss the urgency of teaching, learning, and protecting the truth, specifically related to impact of race and racism on Long Island and U.S. history, as well as other truths related to sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and more.
We also discussed the danger of current legislation in at least 42 states as of June 2022 that would effectively require teachers to avoid educating students about the factual role of racism and oppression throughout U.S History.
Following Lauren Brincat’s presentation about Jupiter Hammon, our three student organizers, Yoav, Alli, and Maekyla, spoke to protecting their freedom to learn and different ways students and communities can take action to support educators who teach the truth. We also heard from Aisha Wilson-Carter of Long Island Strong Schools Alliance about how teaching and learning the truth affects her as an educator, parent, and Long Islander. Finally, we collectively brainstormed a group Teach the Truth Pledge in support of educators who: seek to teach us complete and accurate histories, help students better understand problems in our society today and how to critically examine various solutions to those problems, and incorporate culturally responsive-sustaining education into their classes. Here is an image of the pledge we came up with: 
If you want to add your voice to our collective pledge, please click here.
Through the voices of our students, educators, and community members, we see the importance and urgency of learning the truth about systemic racism and other forms of oppression in our country’s history and understanding its ongoing impacts today. If you want to get involved with future actions and stay up to date with ERASE Racism’s work, please sign up for our newsletter. If you or a student you know is interested in getting involved with our student advocacy, check out our Student Task Force.
For more information about the national movement coordinated by Zinn Education Project and/or to sign onto the national pledge, click here (please note that this pledge is for educators only).
Students, educators, and community advocates can share their pledges on social media using the hashtag #TeachTruth and tag @ERASEracismny!
Thank you to our Partners at Preservation LI for hosting this important event.
You can find pictures from the event as well as student pledges here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzU8JW