No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Pullman teachers by the end of the week ending Jan. 29.
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 Pullman teacher wrote “As a history teacher I cannot stand by and be silent. All students in our nation must be taught the true history and not let it get hijacked by the radical right. A strong country and peoples should not be scared of learning the truth about its history. No teacher is teaching it to make white students feel guilty about the past. That's just a red herring and an excuse to suppress the truth. I teach the truth so we can collectively as a nation learn from our past and together forge a better future for all Americans.” 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. 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 |
|---|---|
| Carol Ndambuki | Pullman, WA is a college town right on the border with Moscow, ID. The State of Idaho is one that passed legislation controlling what teachers, districts, and universities can teach citing "Critical Race Theory" as a method for manipulating children into thinking it is bad to be white. Funds have been cut from those public universities perceived as teaching "Critical Race Theory," including the University of Idaho whose main campus is in Moscow, less than 8 miles from my home.I have been an adult educator for nine years working for the Federal government through Migrant Education grants supporting migrant workers and their children in their pursuit of high school diplomas. I teach in English and in Spanish all four subjects tested in high school equivalency (math, science, social studies and language arts). I have worked with so many adults in preparation for their citizenship test, adults from all over the world who have chosen to come to the United States for the freedoms enshrined in the constitution. We speak frankly about the good those freedoms have brought to our country but also about how those very principles have failed to be supported and observed for all who live here and call the US home. |
| Debbie Nakata | As a history teacher I cannot stand by and be silent. All students in our nation must be taught the true history and not let it get hijacked by the radical right. A strong country and peoples should not be scared of learning the truth about its history. No teacher is teaching it to make white students feel guilty about the past. That's just a red herring and an excuse to suppress the truth. I teach the truth so we can collectively as a nation learn from our past and together forge a better future for all Americans. |
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