The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 4, the day before. It now has one pledge from Catlett teacher.
They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.
The Catlett teacher wrote "I cannot allow the truth to be regulated by legislators who have an ideological agenda. I teach history and it is imperative that we teach the history of all Americans. That includes the history of slavery, white supremacy, misogyny and anti-immigrant policies. Structural racism continues to be a barrier to realizing equality. Students should be able to learn the truth- not some made up fairy tale about white protestants triumphantly marching across North America bringing Christianity and civilization." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.
Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.
In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon', Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”
| Teachers | Thoughts on Critical Race Theory |
|---|---|
| Donna Cywinski | I cannot allow the truth to be regulated by legislators who have an ideological agenda. I teach history and it is imperative that we teach the history of all Americans. That includes the history of slavery, white supremacy, misogyny and anti-immigrant policies. Structural racism continues to be a barrier to realizing equality. Students should be able to learn the truth- not some made up fairy tale about white protestants triumphantly marching across North America bringing Christianity and civilization. |
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