No new teachers in Burlingame sign pledge on Dec. 29 to teach Critical Race Theory

By San Mateo Sun

Dec 31, 2021

There were no new teachers in Burlingame who signed the pledge on Dec. 29, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 28, the day before. It now has seven pledges from Burlingame 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 Burlingame teachers included, "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?" and "If we lie to our students, why should they trust anything we say?".

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 in Burlingame who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Aaron Whitmore	No comment
Akeem Layne	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 Lawson	I love and respect my students. They deserve to learn the truth in school!
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?