The pledge was signed by seven teachers the month before. It now has seven pledges from Newark teachers by June.
They are 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 |
|---|---|
| Charles Pinderhughes | As the inheritors of our country and our world, our youth deserve to know the real details of our past so that they can better understand how to fight to change our future. |
| Shea Richardson | Our scholars deserve to learn about the historical atrocities of the past, so that they may draw parallels to the injustices committed against members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community. As educators, we should subscribe to teaching the good, the bad, and the ugly as it pertains to American History. We must NOT remain silent! If we expose our scholars, then we will be empowering them to lift their voices, combat oppression, and be the future change agents and torchbearers! |
| Ericka Alfaro | Students deserve to see themselves in the history they learn as they continue rewrite it and add their own narratives. |
| Leah Owens | “no comment” |
| Grace Howley | “no comment” |
| Carla Ferreira | In solidarity with all teachers committed to teaching critical thinking and to making their classrooms anti-racist spaces & against all forms of white supremacist intimidation and oppression. Teachers should not fear for their safety or their jobs for teaching accurate histories. If our lawmakers don't want our students learning about racist history in the US, stop creating it! |
| Milagros Harris | I couldn't teach any other way. |
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