The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 10, the day before. It now has 38 pledges from Louisville teachers.
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.
Comments from Louisville teachers included, "Students need to understand the social factors that shaped our histories in order to understand those histories and deal with contemporary problems of inequality" and "we must move beyond the oppressive systems that prevent us from recognizing the humanity of everyone".
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 |
|---|---|
| Abigaiut Palof | No comment |
| Aletha Fields | No comment |
| Allison Ojeda | I am not afraid to teach the “hard” topics. It’s time. Our kids deserve better - they deserve the truth. |
| Amia Bridgeford | No comment |
| Bethany Olson | No comment |
| Bethany Olson | We cannot begin to dismantle a racist system that we refuse to acknowledge. |
| Brandon Riddle | Students need to understand the social factors that shaped our histories in order to understand those histories and deal with contemporary problems of inequality. |
| Cate Fosl | Accurate histories of racism and the struggle against it, as well as other social justice issues, are pitifully lacking in most K-12 classrooms and even in some university settings. |
| Catherine Hatcher | No comment |
| Chanda Fowler | I can't do my job ethically otherwise. I owe it to my students and to my children to teach the truth. |
| Christine Manzo | True history needs to be taught, so children can make decisions and be critical thinkers as they age. |
| Corinne Martin | The truth matters. Black lives matter. |
| Cortnee Gray | My whole life I’ve been dedicated to truth and justice and education. I feel like you can not have one without the others and education is the role I was born for. It’s my goal to always install truth and justice and all the tools needed to educate the world. The truth should never be repressed or taken away and all students deserve an opportunity to have the most authentic learning experience possible. |
| David Horvath | Education requires that we teach ALL history in our schools, whether or not it makes some people uncomfortable or not. We learn, know better, and do better. |
| Dennis Cornell | No comment |
| Diane Pecknold | Students deserve to know the full truth. |
| Erica Brown | No comment |
| Greg Tichenor | we must move beyond the oppressive systems that prevent us from recognizing the humanity of everyone. |
| Helen Turner | I want our future to know our true history in order to prevent similar things from happening again. Knowledge is POWER |
| Ivonne Rovira | these bills CLAIM they don't want anyone to teach that one race is superior to another; however, the bills erase every part of history that's not exclusively white. That proves that the real point of the bill is to teach that European-Americans were -- and, most importantly, continue to be -- the most important thread in this country's history. |
| James Miller | No comment |
| Jessica Anderson | I did not begin learning the truth about our nation's history until college. We owe it to our students and our society to teach a more full and honest picture of our history. This is necessary in order for us to heal and move forward. |
| Jessica Cresseveur | College is not just about "career training." It is also about shaping conscientious citizens who can and should make positive change regardless of which career field they choose. I want my students to know the complete story of American (and global) history, no matter how disturbing that history is. As the old saying warns, those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. Likewise, those who know about the past can analyze the mistakes of our ancestors and use that information to create a truly just world. |
| John Brewer | I believe in the work you are doing and wholly support the teaching of narratives that center human dignity and decenter sanitized history that does not advance the species. |
| Katie Weible | Truth matters |
| Kelly Kinahan | No comment |
| Kellye Cunningham | No comment |
| Kim Sorise | Understanding the truth about our country and our society allows us to better understand ourselves. All of our students deserve to thrive and know these truths, and we, as educators, deserve the right to disseminate and facilitate them. |
| Michelle Munizaga | It is my civic duty to all students to teach and speak truth. |
| Sarah Tarutani | No comment |
| Shashray McCormack | Im giving myself, Permission to be BRILLIANT be speaking truth to power! |
| Sheila Rivers | Enough U.S. history is denied already, so why deny students of the entire knowledge of slavery. It did happen and it’s fact. Stop burying that that makes white folks uncomfortable or well forever be forced to deal with racism. |
| Shelley Thomas | To fight ignorance |
| Shirletta Kinchen | I do not support the erasure of historical truths |
| Tiffany Boyd | We must teach the truth. |
| Tim Hargesheimer | No comment |
| Trinidad Jackson | White supremacy cannot continue to reign. Silence is violence, and we must oppose oppressive chains that are perpetually attacking our very existence. |
| Troy Petrie | The fact is, the truth is largely ignored in our Social Studies classrooms. While supporters of this legislation see it as a remedy to some form of perversion of our national narratives, they're really just a white supremacists prophylactic. |
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