The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 2, the day before. It now has one pledge from Towson 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 Towson teacher wrote "The country cannot heal from the atrocities committed in the past if all teachers on all levels do not join together to teach what actually happened, from genocide launched by Columbus, to the Pequot massacre, to the murder of George Floyd. I am such a teacher who shocks my adult graduate students by having them read books by Howard Zinn, Craig Steven Wilder, among others. Please join with me in this effort to transform all schools and universities into instruments of healing rather than purveyors of arrogance and ignorance by simply teaching the truth." 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 |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Welsh | The country cannot heal from the atrocities committed in the past if all teachers on all levels do not join together to teach what actually happened, from genocide launched by Columbus, to the Pequot massacre, to the murder of George Floyd. I am such a teacher who shocks my adult graduate students by having them read books by Howard Zinn, Craig Steven Wilder, among others. Please join with me in this effort to transform all schools and universities into instruments of healing rather than purveyors of arrogance and ignorance by simply teaching the truth. |
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