History is written by the victors, so it is said. If that is so, how do we know it is accurate? Even oral history handed down through millennia may have changed as each generation adds their unique flourish. With this in mind, how can we rely and trust how history is taught in schools ? Today’s guest, Wendy Leighton, has been teaching Social Studies for 31 years and in 2021 she was invited to join the team of educators writing and revising the New Mexico K-12 Social Studies Standards. Ms. Leighton’s focus on the US high school history team was specifically on including the history of marginalized peoples including LGBTQ+ history [for the first time in the history of the state], tribal sovereignty, social justice and sustainability. Adopted earlier this year by the New Mexico Public Education Department, this ground-breaking document could prove to significantly improve education in the state and set an example for the teaching of history nationwide.
Wendy also brought into the studio four essential books that NMPED have made available for all students. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of The United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, A Queer History of The United States by Michael Bronski and his companion volume for young people. And Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Wendy Leighton can be contacted at
wwhite66@gmail.com