The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 21, the day before. It now has one pledge from Alliance 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 Alliance teacher wrote "I will be teaching my college students about all critical theory (race, gender, Latinx, sexual orientation, etc.). I teach a class on prejudice and power. Many of my students find the course an invaluable learning experience that widens their perspectives about social justice issues and the state of our current political and cultural institutions. A good number of them live in small, rural towns and have never heard of the concepts, people, and stories that I share with them in my class. I also teach a course on gender as well, and my students have similar experiences. CRT and the concepts related to systemic oppression NEED to be discussed in the classroom in a historical and current context. Policies that perpetuate forms of oppression will only continue unless we become aware of and then take action to change/eradicate them. This starts in the classroom." 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 |
|---|---|
| Sarah Torok-Gerard | I will be teaching my college students about all critical theory (race, gender, Latinx, sexual orientation, etc.). I teach a class on prejudice and power. Many of my students find the course an invaluable learning experience that widens their perspectives about social justice issues and the state of our current political and cultural institutions. A good number of them live in small, rural towns and have never heard of the concepts, people, and stories that I share with them in my class. I also teach a course on gender as well, and my students have similar experiences. CRT and the concepts related to systemic oppression NEED to be discussed in the classroom in a historical and current context. Policies that perpetuate forms of oppression will only continue unless we become aware of and then take action to change/eradicate them. This starts in the classroom. |
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