No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has seven pledges from Malden teachers by the end of the week ending Sep. 18.
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 |
|---|---|
| Heather Levine | I will always fight for the right to teach the truth. |
| Amine Yakine | To be neutral with the truth in history is to be against the truth. Time to face our history with courage and conviction that we can reconstruct a better future. |
| Elana Mayer | “no comment” |
| Lauren Dupont | “no comment” |
| Paul Degenkolb | I believe that part of decolonizing our educational system must include teaching the truth. |
| Amine Yakine | To be neutral with the truth in history is to be against the truth. It is our moral obligation to speak truth to power and teach the truth in history because our republic and fragile democracy depends on it. |
| Elisabeth Harris | Kids can't learn to think critically if information is kept from them. Instead of suppressing, let's figure out ways to help teachers learn to teach facts ethically and morally. |
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