No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 16 pledges from Columbia teachers by the end of the week ending April 9.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Christine Pearman | If we want students to think critically, we need to share our history honestly. When the truth of our past is painful or harmful, it is still our history. As we process current events and problems in society, we must draw understanding from past mistakes. |
| Dominique Edwards | “no comment” |
| Jen Wilson | if we do not understand our past, we will continue to make the same mistakes. Learning history helps us to understand people better. |
| Wendy Cohen-Holbrook | Education is about providing students personal and civil power through knowledge. How can we raise thoughtful and responsible citizens without providing them facts to make good decisions? |
| Elizabeth Diaz | One of my most important responsibilities as an educator is to strengthen my students' abilities to think critically about the world around them. In order to fulfill this promise to my students, I must allow them access to all aspects of our country's past and present. |
| Stephanie Tam | Our students deserve and need to know the whole truth and not just the bits and pieces we were told when we were in school. Students ad all people have the right to make their own mind up and as an educator it is my duty to educate the whole TRUTH. |
| Kathleen MacLaughlin | acknowledging the truth is first step in helping students and their families heal from the generational trauma that prejudicial practices and racist policies have inflicted on people of color. We can't bring about change if no one is willing to see what is wrong. |
| Crystal Shelley | “no comment” |
| Sandra Ramsey | our students deserve to know that truth about out nation's history - the good and the bad. |
| Shira Levy | “no comment” |
| Christina Zastrow | Because teaching real, authentic, and meaningful history is important. |
| 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. |
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