No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has seven pledges from Burlingame teachers by the end of the week ending Sep. 11.
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 |
|---|---|
| Jessica Lawson | I love and respect my students. They deserve to learn the truth in school! |
| Akeem Layne | “no comment” |
| Aaron Whitmore | “no comment” |
| Akemi Kashiwada | even though I'm two generations removed from the members of my family that were forced into the Japanese internment camps, it still affects my life, and I want my children to understand that as well. |
| Jessica Quan Crabtree | I refuse to lie to my students about history. Our students deserve to hear about and discuss not only the "good", but also the tough and uncomfortable parts of our US history. How else are we going to work on fostering critical and analytical thinkers? |
| Sam Demuro | Teaching the TRUTH is necessary. |
| Susan Frankel | If we lie to our students, why should they trust anything we say? |
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