No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Williamston teachers by the end of the week ending March 12.
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 new Williamston teacher wrote “my students deserve to see themselves in history, and to know that people like them have been part of history all along. They also deserve to know the messy, bloody history of our nation rather than a sanitized version that doesn't acknowledge the actual injustices that happened.” 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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Cleta Harrell | “no comment” |
| Heather Butler | my students deserve to see themselves in history, and to know that people like them have been part of history all along. They also deserve to know the messy, bloody history of our nation rather than a sanitized version that doesn't acknowledge the actual injustices that happened. |
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