The pledge was signed by one teacher the week before. It now has 14 pledges from Charlotte teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 07.
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 |
|---|---|
| Lauren Dachille | “no comment” |
| Leslie Freeman | I care about the truth, and the lies have caused irreparable damage to so many Americans!!! |
| Melissa Easley | we should no longer be presenting whitewashed history. |
| Laurel Brooks | I can’t believe it has come to this, teachers need to pledge we will speak truth to our students? But here we are. Of course I will, that is the default my students deserve. |
| Lori Dicenzo Carter | All students deserve the opportunity to learn about the contributions their ancestors made to the United States. If we hope to end systemic racism and oppression, white students in particular need to learn the truth of our nation’s history before we can ever hope to make change. |
| Leslie Neilsen | There is ugly truth we need to learn about. It’s hard to hear the truth, but we are a nation of humans…and humans are subject to make mistakes. It’s how we grow. |
| Brianna Carter | To tell the truth about history is to celebrate the resilience of my family history within the thread of American and world history. Furthermore, in teaching civics, students are able to recognize the pain and promise of our country. |
| Erica Ince | History was been whitewashed. We’re so scared of hurting someone’s feeling or offending someone, we sugarcoat the truth. Not being honest about our history is what is causing most of our countries problems. We can’t fix them if we don’t face them. |
| Jocelyn Roundtree | As a social studies teacher this is very near and dear to me. I pride myself on providing my students with well rounded views of the world we live in and have absolutely NO PLANS on discontinuing the practice in the future. Truth is relative...BUT...everyone's truth deserves to be heard and acknowledged! |
| Dina Modine | I believe we only learn through true stories we share with one another. History is alive. It involves context, perspective and people…all of which must be honored and respected for us to work together for US…not one group, but all people. |
| Donna Charneskie | Truth matters Critical thinking mattersDemocracy dies in darkness |
| Tracy Kennedy | I will not lie to my students, I will not ignore the history of my students of color, I will not be silent in supporting my students. |
| Ely Karen | “no comment” |
| Tina Shull | I am committed to ethnic studies, racial and environmental justice, and teaching the full US story |
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