Teach Truth Day of Action planned Saturday in Salem

SALEM -- Local educators, students, parents and community members will join the fifth annual Teach Truth Day of Action at 11 a.m. Saturday Waterworth Memorial Park, Pavillion 8 (enter park from Superior Ave.)

The event is part of a nationwide initiative and will feature a historical two-mile walk/driving tour, highlighting marked and unmarked historical landmarks including: the St. John AME Church, George W. S. Lucas's home, Edwin Coppoc's memorial, Marius and Emily Robinson's home and the new Abraham Lincoln Statue. Participants will stand against legislative efforts to censor history and restrict learning in K-12 classrooms, advocating for an honest and inclusive education.

Participants will include members of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, local educators and the Salem Historical Society

The event is part of a national day of action led by the Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change), in partnership with the National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union in the country and more than 80 cosponsoring organizations.

The Teach Truth Day of Action in Ohio aims to:

Publicly defend teachers' right to teach and students' right to an honest, comprehensive, and inclusive K-12 education.

-- Raise awareness about the dangers of censorship and legislation that restrict teaching on topics like racism, sexism, climate change, LGBTQI rights, and histories of communities.

-- Highlight local histories in Salem that are at risk of being obscured by such censorship.

-- Affirm that a truthful education is vital for developing critical thinking skills and preparing students to be informed, engaged participants in a democracy.

-- Show solidarity with educators facing pressures to omit crucial aspects of U.S. history and current events.

Background: Since 2021, over 800 pieces of legislation have been introduced across the United States aiming to censor teachers. Organizers argue such measures create a chilling effect in classrooms, undermining the integrity and quality of public education by denying students a full and accurate understanding of their world. The national Teach Truth campaign, now in its fifth year, encourages communities to take a public stand for the freedom to learn.

"Lincoln represents liberty and freedom for all," said Heather Smith, a teacher at Volney Elementary in YCSD and Salem resident. "However, this symbol fails to tell the story of the local people that were living here, breaking federal laws, in order for the Underground Railroad to run successfully. So many people doing "the good work" came to Salem like: John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Edwin and Barclay Coppoc, Sojourner Truth, George W.S. Lucas and many more."

SB 1 legislation, was signed on March 28, 2025 by Governor Dewine. A petition to repeal SB 1 is in progress.

Similar measures have been introduced in Missouri, Texas, Idaho, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Arizona, North Carolina, and more states. Many have targeted such curricula offered by the New York Times 1619 Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, Black Lives Matter at School and the Zinn Education Project.

Educators in Ohio are asking how they can teach their students honestly without looking at the historical roots of today's inequality.

"I plan to teach the truth no matter what the law says. Media literacy matters," said Smith.