No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has one pledge from Randallstown 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 |
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Ingrid Sabio-Mclaughlin | I am signing because it is vital to our society that our citizenry understand our nation's history and how we have come to some of the disparities in our society. If we don't understand the past, we can't effectively create strategies for the future. Banning learning about history is anti-democratic. |