Frequently Asked Questions

5 May 2023
 

Everyone is asking us the following two questions. Click the arrow to read our answer.

Our curriculum is primary source-based (documents and objects created during the time period under study) and is connected to concepts outlined in state frameworks, so it broadens what teachers are already introducing. Content connections include early colonial America, the Civil War, suffragists and reformers, WWII, civil rights, US Constitution, and more! This history has always been there, as the primary sources are from the Library of Congress, National Archives, Smithsonian, and archives and libraries across the country!
 
We help educators identify the source of resistance ordiscomfort, provide a framework to navigate complex conversations, and model this process using authentic scenarios. (We get a lot less pushback than people anticipate we do!)

 

Our answers to the most frequently asked questions from community members, parents/caregivers, teachers & school administrators, and K-12 state education agency leaders help everyone better understand what our curriculum includes (and doesn't include) and how we work with K-12 schools.

 

Questions from Community Members

History UnErased is a 501(c)3 education non-profit founded in 2015 by veteran classroom educators.
We do many things! We train educators to teach our LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum in mainstream classes. Our goal is to make sure every student understands that LGBTQ people (as we label and understand today) have always existed! This is so important from a historical standpoint but also from a social standpoint. When students see, for example, that people who we understand today as transgender were often revered in earlier times, and that their influence and perspectives impacted the course of history, then understanding and respect for transgender people can flourish. We also work with school and district leaders to help them build community support for LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum. Right now, our information sessions for parents and caregivers are popular! And our programming for youth gives them a voice and structure to bring about policy changes that are most important to them. 
Schools across the country, including rural, suburban, urban, public, private, and charter; large districts to small single schools andeverything in between.
Our curriculum is for grades K-12 and we have recursos en Español! 
Yes, we do! We provide virtual programming for community groups and companies to introduce fascinating LGBTQ history that everyone enjoys learning. Use the contact tab above!

Questions from Parents/Caregivers

Our use of the acronym represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, which reflects the evolving vocabulary and understanding of nonbinary identities.
We have consulted with experts in elementary education and use developmentally aligned language when incorporating primary source content. Our K-3 curriculum is nuanced and gentle. A high school student looked at one of our early grade units and said, "If I had learned this in elementary school I would have immediately recognized myself, and felt better about myself." This unit is based on the life of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman. Sarah was born on a farm and left at 19 years old to join the Union Army. Since women were not allowed to be soldiers, Sarah took on a male gender identity and joined the Union army as Lyons Wakeman. Sarah’s story is preserved in letters to family, some signed Sarah and some signed Lyons. The illustrated story concludes with the line, "I was an uncommon soldier, but history will teach you there were many more like me!" The unit includes vocabulary develop- ment, map reading, and the "What's My Secret?" interactive game, which contextualizes history with people who also had secrets: Mary Elizabeth Bowser, Fitz John Porter, Elizabeth Van Lew, Betty Duvall, Ellen and William Craft, and Harry T. Buford. 
Expert historians, educators, curriculum designers, professional learning specialists, librarians, and researchers co-authored our primary source-based curriculum! 
Every History UnErased facilitator is an educator whose experience and expertise reflect many aspects of the K-12 landscape from elementary, middle, and high school contexts.
Yes! We provide virtual information sessions for these groups to dispel misconceptions about what LGBTQ-inclusive history means!
 

Questions from Teachers & School Administrators

Our curriculum package is a whole-school or district approach because most of us never learned any LGBTQ history ourselves. This provides comfort and clarity and everyone benefits!
Our curriculum is a one-time cost per school or district and affordable for every budget, everywhere. And there are no annual fees!
Click the contact tab to schedule a virtual demo. When we show you how easy it is to share our curriculum with students (it's just one click–no registration or login), you will have the student materials for your review!
We currently have three world history case studies and more are in development.
Some of our curricula have cross-disciplinary approaches with ELA, STEM, Fine Arts, and content to help every educator create inclusive classrooms!

Questions from State Education Agency Leaders

Yes! We are proud of the results which speak to the value and quality of our curriculum and training. Contact us to learn more!
We have plenty of qualitative data that show an immediate and lasting impact. We need funding for a longitudinal study of a random sampling of schools to collect and analyze quantitative data.

 

Questions about Volunteering and Employment

There are many things you can do to help advance our mission. Click contact above!
Yes! We are looking for experienced educators to co-facilitate virtual training sessions. Use the contact tab above.
 

 

For nearly every major civil rights event you studied in school, Bayard Rustin had a hand in it.

Rustin was Dr. King's lead strategist and convinced him to employ the tactics of Gandhi with nonviolence and peaceful protests. Rustin organized and spoke at the historic 1963 March on Washington, but his name did not appear in the program and, until recently, was erased from the history he helped to shape.

In 2013, Rustin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Walter Naegle, Rustin's partner, accepted the award at the White House on his behalf. Listen to President Obama introducing Bayard Rustin during the ceremony, then meet Walter Naegle who has a personal message for you about why learning LGBTQ history is essential for all students.

 

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