No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has seven pledges from Columbia teachers by the end of the week ending Oct. 30.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Andrew McIntyre | We need to teach the truth about this country. |
| Alexa Chestnut | “no comment” |
| Erika Chavarría | “no comment” |
| Mike Lewis | Teachers have the right to create curriculum appropriate for their students. Teachers are professionals and have been trained to do this. For the State to dictate to teachers how to teach and what to teach sounds like a Stalinist approach to education. If the teacher's can't be creative to teach the students what they need, how will the students be creative to provide the solutions to the problems they will encounter in their lives |
| Johanna Hebert | Knowing our history is the only way we keep our democracy. Just look at where ignorance has gotten us. We cannot lose to a group whose only goal is power and control. |
| Christina Zastrow | Because teaching real, authentic, and meaningful history is important. |
| Shira Levy | “no comment” |
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