The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has one pledge from Alhambra 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 Alhambra teacher wrote "Students must learn about our past to make sense of the world they will be in charge of making decisions for in a few years. Having an educated electorate who can vote with confidence after analyzing and debating topics is the whole point of a democratic republic." 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 |
---|---|
Kimberly McDonald | Students must learn about our past to make sense of the world they will be in charge of making decisions for in a few years. Having an educated electorate who can vote with confidence after analyzing and debating topics is the whole point of a democratic republic. |