The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 21, the day before. It now has one pledge from Byron Center 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 Byron Center teacher wrote "If we continue to pretend racism does not exists, then hate and violence will continue in our society. If we don’t talk about the past we cannot change the future. One political party is controlling the education system and the rhetoric and it will damage the public education for students learning history and the truth. We should not be suppressing history even if it’s painful." 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 |
|---|---|
| Michelle Elizondo | If we continue to pretend racism does not exists, then hate and violence will continue in our society. If we don’t talk about the past we cannot change the future. One political party is controlling the education system and the rhetoric and it will damage the public education for students learning history and the truth. We should not be suppressing history even if it’s painful. |
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