TruthTeeTold™ tee shirts are special in multiple ways. Every shirt tells a story about American history, a history deeply rooted in the experiences of the people who built the country. TruthTeeTold™ tees are far more than the tee shirts we see with singular messages prominently displayed across the chest or back. Unfortunately, such “message shirts” have been prohibited in certain educational and professional settings because someone defines them as objectionable, despite their veracity. TruthTeeTold™ shirts transcend a singular message by transferring you into a vast array of accessible historical resources that deepen your knowledge of American history and leave you inspired by those who have come before. TruthTeeTold™ tees are wearable, with an in-depth history embedded in the QR Code on it. Its content-rich truth-telling message is accessible only when the code is cracked. Each shirt reflects the research, scholarship, and latest technology to enliven history. Here, American history begins with deciphering the QR Code. Each one, teach one.

TruthTeeTold™ tees are made from a premium, natural cotton fiber that is soft, durable, and stylish. When you sport a TruthTeeTold™ tee, you are donning high-quality fashion made of the finest, made with American, Supima cotton. TruthTeeTold™ shirts exemplify quality and minimalism. Our shirts reflect the investment we make in researching, verifying, and developing our brand and the care we put into each QR Code we release. We stand behind the investigation embedded in every unique QR Code. Follow each QR code to reveal the stories, and resource materials that tell the truth about us, our buried or denied past, and the contributions of countless unsung heroes. While our rigorously researched tee shirts are not cheap to produce, we think the investment in this education is worth it and we believe you will too. Together we can creatively counter the deliberate fictions and fabrications about American history that have erased the lived experiences of the many, diverse groups on the verge of being written out of history today. Book banning is one of many steps in this dangerous direction.

Yes. Our tees are made with Supima Cotton, a lovely, durable cotton made in America. We recommend turning the shirt inside out before laundering to protect the integrity of the QR code. However, we have laundered shirts many times without the inside-outside recommendation and our tees look amazing after each washing. Moreover, on scorching summer days, Supima cotton is cool, breathable, and does not stick to the body.

Currently, our small operation focuses on amassing the research and designing an infrastructure to efficiently investigate the wealth of American history unknown to many of us. We foresee that visitors to the website will be able to select from a plethora of categories from history, ranging from people, places, events, sports, education, inventors, and many more.

Yes, we are eager to supply custom Tees for special programs, workplace events, and causes, such as family reunions, schools, and other groups with a buried history story that should be investigated and shared. Please note that such orders may incur additional fees and take additional time to process. We don’t profess to know every story out there. Tell us the people, events, or topics and we’ll conduct the research, create the QR Code, and wrap it all up in an engaging, factual story of American history. All such requests are accepted at the discretion of TruthTeeTold.

We currently have twelve categories of topics and subjects in American history that are ready to display. What appears on the website is a small sampling of the offerings available. Behind the scenes is a team that compiles and connects the information to other germane websites, books, movies, documentaries, etc. Thus, it takes time to offer context-rich, data that we review and substantiate before releasing. We combat erasure with evidence-based truth. Our research must pass our highest standards. We hope those who might know of “hidden figures,” and the unique histories where they reside, will ask us to do some history on the topic. Our plans include inspiring youth to write essays and research papers on the overlooked and little-known history of where they live. TruthTeeTold™’s future goals include awards, scholarships, and support for students and teachers as partners in our shared mission to keep American history alive.

Black people have sometimes been excluded by those who were once excluded and marginalized. However, TruthTeeTold™is not solely for Black people. TruthTeeTold™ is about American history and all those who have been eliminated, erased, and excluded from American history. This is, as the late, great historian Howard Zinn offered, “the People’s History.” It is about those who have built this country and whose contributions too often have been ignored and devalued. You will NOT find here a focus on the “Founding Fathers,” except when their story is essential to the highlighted topic. This is “history from the bottom up,” a term coined by the late historian Jesse Lemisch. Non-Black people are included here as allies, resisters, and supporters of social justice and democracy. TruthTeeTold™ encodes such powerful allies as Yuri Kochiyama, Grace Boggs, Joan C. Downing, the Lovejoy brothers, Viola Luizzo, Rev. James Reeb, Rabbis Perry Nussbaum and Jacob Schiff, Julius Rosenwald, William Kunstler – just to name a few. Diverse voices such as these will share their memorable stories.

TruthTeeTold™ is a gateway into a wealth of information and educational materials. Real education should be both educational and entertaining. One can start their American history odyssey with the tee shirts and then transcend the QR Code information by taking full advantage of the resources the QR Code links to on the TruthTeeTold™website. In addition to the QR Code, a slew of materials encourages you to investigate that which we present. If you travel, examine our recommended museums and cultural and historical sites. Wherever you venture, add local history. If you can’t travel, take advantage of what is “at home,” where you live, or take a virtual tour of a place you’ve always wanted to visit. Know the history of where you are and who contributed to that history. We hope to cover each state in America and share those stories. Not much of a reader? Watch the documentaries, by Stanley Nelson, Ken Burns, Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, and many others on our website. Consume the videos that tell stories of America, such as the compelling new, must-see documentary, The League, on the history of the Negro Baseball League, by the brilliant filmmaker, Sam Pollard. Our website points you to great documentary resources such as Frontline, Independent Lens, and Public Television stations, and more.

Yes. We are eager to provide an array of materials for children and adults. We should never wait on or rely on schools to teach history, particularly “our” history. When we send our children to school, they should already know that they come from strength and brilliance and are part of a rich and courageous past. We must give all children the tools to overcome the potential miseducation that some schools seem hellbent on transmitting. We will offer games, fun activities, and recommendations for parents to teach their children to be critical thinkers and doers in a school system that might not encourage or support being either.

Yes. We hope that visitors will come to view the site as co-created. We are receptive to your ideas and contributions. We hope to develop State-by-State junior researchers who will share their discoveries and stories as we build a diverse and inclusive American history archive across disciplines. All requests and contributions for inclusion must undergo our rigorous standards for acceptance and are selected at the discretion of TruthTeeTold™.