No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has five pledges from Fresno teachers by the end of the week ending Dec. 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 |
|---|---|
| Meghan Schimmel | History taught from all perspectives matters. |
| Sharon Merritt | “no comment” |
| Alexandros Acedo | without teaching brutally and unapologetic honest history, and the legacy that it has produced, we can not complete our national reconstruction, that was aborted in 1877 with the corrupt presidential election bargain. |
| Miroku Nemeth | White nationalist and white settler colonial mythology cannot stand unchecked. All human beings have a responsibility to change things, and teachers have even more of a responsibility. |
| Anoush Ekparian-Hadden | “no comment” |
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