The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 25, the day before. It now has eight 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, "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" and "I love and respect my students. They deserve to learn the truth in school!".
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 |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Claudia Flores | I believe in removing the romanticized version of U.S. history when teaching children. Lifting the veil to show, analyze and discuss U.S. history and it’s treatment of indigenous first people, enslaved people and any “othering” of people of color can shed insight into how those in power continued to pass off this “legacy” and how we can today, learn from those mistakes, acknowledging that our country is not perfect and continues to be a work in progress. |
| 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? |
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