John,

Texas Republicans are trying to pass yet another law to censor what our state’s public schools can teach about the history of discrimination, inequality and civil rights -- and their new bill, SB 3, is even worse than the one they rammed through at the very end of the regular session in May.

Texas Freedom Network and its allies with the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition need your help to stop this newest attack on teaching the truth in our public schools.

You can testify at the Senate State Affairs Committee’s public hearing on SB 3 at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, July 15) in the Senate chamber. Click below to let us know you can make it and for a complete guide on testifying.

SB 3 further restricts how schools can teach about the history of slavery, racism and inequality as well as current events on issues Republicans say are controversial. It also strips out explicit requirements House Democrats had added to make sure classroom instruction reflects historical truths -- like teaching about the legacy of white supremacy, the experiences and contributions of people of color in our nation’s history, and key events, documents and historical figures important to civil and equal rights movements. And it gives state agencies unprecedented power to enforce the bill’s censorship provisions.

Schools should #TeachTheTruth, and efforts to whitewash and censor our history are wrong and frankly un-American. White nationalist groups like Proud Boys and Aryan Nations are distorting and exploiting this issue to stoke racial divisions and restrict what students learn about topics like racism, discrimination and civil rights in their history classrooms. It’s especially shameful to see Republican elected officials echo the same dishonest arguments.

We hope to see you at the Capitol on Thursday in support of accurate history in the classroom.

In the fight,

Jules Mandel
TFN Outreach & Advocacy Strategist