*All are welcome to sign their names, especially TUSD students, parents, educators, staff, and alumni.

The petition:

"Dear board members of Tucson Unified School District, Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, and principals of TUSD high schools,

Within the past few months, the protests that swept the country after the murder of George Floyd and all victims of police brutality have sparked discussion in nearly every household. It is critical to engage in uncomfortable conversations about systemic and individualized racism at home, in the workplace and most importantly -- school. As Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said in your statement on civil unrest, “As educators, we understand that our greatest and most effective method of changing the world is through the children we educate and our most powerful tool is the classroom.” In order to use our most powerful tool to the best of its ability, I suggest a modification of the curriculum of English and history classes to address systemic racism, center minority perspectives and to honor the diversity of its students. I call on TUSD to ensure that schools make an effort to create an anti-racist curriculum. An anti-racist curriculum would stray away from what is considered fundamental: a system that centers white people, white perspectives and whiteness as a whole. I call on TUSD to include more viewpoints by BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) and anti-racist authors. I call on you to let the voices of marginalized communities be heard.

Throughout the past month, many of my peers have educated themselves on topics concerning systemic racism which should have been covered in school. For many of my peers, they were shocked to learn about racial gaslighting from Twitter or Instagram. They did not understand the historical systemic oppression of the black community despite it prevailing in the daily lives of black people. However, many other students did not have the privilege to learn about these topics through social media. They had to learn first-hand. In order to create an environment that prioritizes the learning of ALL students, I call on TUSD to create a curriculum that centers BIPOC voices.
(1) In order to achieve this, high school English and history classes must require:

- At least 1 BIPOC historian/author sharing their experiences as it relates to their race and/or ethnicity (recommendations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1tbnVYg2FQmBvPrWFMuMh6zQ89et2DMjaX0XqmUXlc/edit?usp=sharing
- At least 1 anti-racist text per semester (recommendations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_uZoTng0RiAkUhP1OJVQgM9DmyQGWGquI6asw-Eq_aQ/edit?usp=sharing
- Individualized lessons on BIPOC histories and literature.
- Teachings of microaggressions, implicit biases, and how to combat them.

However, creating an inclusive environment goes beyond that. Connecting modern-day issues with history will help combat ignorance. Many people view racism as a thing of the past because they fail to learn about lasting effects. Students want to learn about the history of white supremacy and successful black revolts. We want history lessons dedicated to the role black women played in the civil rights movement.
(2) In order to teach students that historical atrocities ranging from segregation to concentration camps were never things of the past, I call on you to include these topics under highly-levered standards in the curriculum of U.S. History:

- Elaborate on the contributions of Native Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ+ people and members of any and all underrepresented group in the founding and construction of the U.S. through in-depth teachings of historical events/figures.
- Elaborate on how segregation has a lasting effect today in African American communities and continues to contribute to systemic racism. Reference present-day housing inequality that contributes to other disparities between minorities and whites today (redlining, gentrification, de facto segregation, etc.).
- Analyze the effect of colonization on Native American communities today (neglected reservations, why the Navajo nation had the third-highest per capita rate of COVID-19 in the country, etc.).
- Explain how xenophobia directly fuels the “cycle of poverty” Latin American communities combat today.
-Discuss how xenophobia in government institutions has sought to isolate Asian Americans in history and today (yellow peril, Muslim ban, Japanese internment camps, etc.).
- Explain how slavery directly fueled the “cycle of poverty” African American communities combat today.
-Discuss the origins of large-scale government institutions and how racism is intertwined in its roots and operations (police, prison-industrial complex, Tuskegee Experiment).

However, these topics are only skimming the surface. I expect that more topics will be added in addition to these with the purpose of amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, connecting history with modern-day issues and overall to create an inclusive environment for all people.

There is much more to do to combat racism in the classroom. Nonetheless, this is a big first step. As a school district, I understand the need to stick to a certain protocol. However, as Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said, the most powerful tool is the classroom. Although I recognize some teachers make efforts to include diverse perspectives, it should no longer be optional to do so. Especially at this time, it is necessary that students have the resources to absorb anti-racist perspectives to combat ignorance. To not be racist is not enough."