The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 24, the day before. It now has one pledge from Chantilly teacher.
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 Chantilly teacher wrote "Every child deserves to hear a true account of our history - past and present. If we don't teach the truth, than we are consciously protecting white privilege, erasing parts of our history and negating the identities of our community. We need to consistently teach the holistic truth about our country so children understand, for example, why we say "Black Lives Matter" and why instead of celebrating Columbus Day we are celebrating Indigenous People's Day. Children deserve to hear multiple viewpoints so they can learn from our countries' mistakes and be empowered do better going forward. Teaching American exceptionalism is lying to our students. Is that the example we want to set?" 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 |
|---|---|
| Natalia Beardslee | Every child deserves to hear a true account of our history - past and present. If we don't teach the truth, than we are consciously protecting white privilege, erasing parts of our history and negating the identities of our community. We need to consistently teach the holistic truth about our country so children understand, for example, why we say "Black Lives Matter" and why instead of celebrating Columbus Day we are celebrating Indigenous People's Day. Children deserve to hear multiple viewpoints so they can learn from our countries' mistakes and be empowered do better going forward. Teaching American exceptionalism is lying to our students. Is that the example we want to set? |
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