The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 17, the day before. It now has 23 pledges from Alexandria teachers.
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.
Comments from Alexandria teachers included, "...our children deserve to know the truth! Banning books and banning content is not the answer. I stand with educators everywhere who are speaking out and who continue to teach the truth. It is very hard to learn about some of the violence that was perpetuated against Black people by white people, and shocking, but we need to start to make amends" and "I believe in teaching our students our true history from multiple perspectives. Then give students the space to have discussions, to share their opinions, and ultimately learn from each other. We should not censor our teachers. By teaching the truth we can become more understanding, more compassionate, and better as a nation. Teach from the heart and don’t be afraid".
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 |
|---|---|
| Agatha Trunchbull | No comment |
| Alexis Scott | No comment |
| Ashley Sullivan | Lying to my students about the true nature of US history goes against everything I stand for |
| Ashley Williams | all of these things are also a part of history that need to be taught. |
| Cara Will | No comment |
| Corina Haywood | We owe all our of students the truth, not a convenient version of the truth. |
| Cynthia Mitlo | I want my students, white and black, to understand the deep roots and history of racism in this country, so that they have the information they need to change our society for the better -- to build a society that is anti-racist and based on equity and justice. |
| Elizabeth Frost | I will not lie to my students about our history; the truth(s) might be painful - but they must be shared. |
| Emily Kruger | Y'all will not silence us from telling the truth!! |
| Erin Lee | No comment |
| Erin Lee | I believe in teaching our students our true history from multiple perspectives. Then give students the space to have discussions, to share their opinions, and ultimately learn from each other. We should not censor our teachers. By teaching the truth we can become more understanding, more compassionate, and better as a nation. Teach from the heart and don’t be afraid. |
| Heesang Kim | No comment |
| Jennifer Abastillas | No comment |
| Katie Keier | No comment |
| Kelly Yutesler | I refuse to teach lies because they make some people happy. |
| Lynne Breitenstein-Aliberti | ...our children deserve to know the truth! Banning books and banning content is not the answer. I stand with educators everywhere who are speaking out and who continue to teach the truth. It is very hard to learn about some of the violence that was perpetuated against Black people by white people, and shocking, but we need to start to make amends. |
| Lynne Breitenstein-Aliberti | it is important that we can teach accurate history about the injustices of the past so that we can ensure not to repeat the same horrors! |
| Megan Kuensting | No comment |
| Sarah Prigmore | I belief that we should stop white-washing history. Our country was founded on policies made by white males, but built on the back of all others. We have to condemn, address, and destroy institutional racism and not try to hide it as we've done in the past. We must face the injustices in this country and throughout education and take action through speaking the real history of the United States. |
| Susan Samuels | right is right! we should live in the truth not a fabrication. only then can we have a chance to grow together to become better human beings, better neighbors, better leaders. |
| Tarek Hbeichi | I believe it is imperative to teach children and adults alike the whole truth and allow them to form their own opinions rather than pushing a narrative and manipulating the truth and their perspective. |
| Tom Cadorette | No comment |
| Zach Whitcomb | I am signing because I received my teaching education in Missouri, home of this current harmful legislation proposal, and I want to push back against the political silencing of important histories from the racist dominant culture, who, for too long, have called the shots. |
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