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 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 |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Alerts Sign-up