The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 9, the day before. It now has 40 pledges from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia teachers included, "Children deserve to know the full history of the country they will one day need to govern" and "Education needs to be based on reality, not myths".
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 |
|---|---|
| Adam Fein | You cannot be neutral on a moving train. |
| Aisha Eubanks | It is not critical race theory in k-12 it is called being Culturally Responsive and teaching truth based history which is based on systemic racism. I plan to continue doing just that. |
| Amanda Roesly | I am a school district employee and care deeply about the future generations. I want to see change and truth happening in our schools |
| Angela Chan | No comment |
| April Marinell | I was taught that “honesty is the best policy”. I believe that ignoring truths and perspectives in our history is unconscionable. |
| Audra Deprisco | Children deserve to know the full history of the country they will one day need to govern. |
| Barbara Stripling | We need to teach our children to think critically and search for the truth. |
| Bianca Davis | History needs to be taught accurately and unbiasedly to fully understand one's future. |
| Celeste Winston | No comment |
| Cornelia Kietzman | We all deserve to know the complete truth |
| Dorine Waugh-Sanders | I have made the promise to myself, my students and my school to teach my students the truth about the history about the African American people, in my African American History class, and the truth about any history that I am teaching. |
| Duncan Gromko | No comment |
| Emma Steinheimer | No comment |
| Erica Stefanovich | US history is not always happy or good. Avoiding complex human stories in favor of simplified deification of the past robs children of the ability to think critically about the past and creates a less analytical populace. |
| Janine De Novais | the attack on teaching the truth about the history and reality of racism is unethical and is an attack on the future health of this democracy |
| Jill Turco | There is nothing more important than truth! |
| Joshua Block | Education needs to be based on reality, not myths. |
| Julia Barrett | No comment |
| Katherine Barlow | No comment |
| Kerry Goldman | No comment |
| Kevin Katz | No comment |
| Kristin Nakaishi | Black students’ lives matter! |
| Kurt Ahrens | Learning from the past (in science and the humanities) requires a critical assessment of evidence. Since race has been a divisive and significant issue since the beginning of European colonization of the Americas, we must acknowledge and consider the role race has played in our history and the shaping of our present society. Ignorance might be bliss, but knowledge is power! |
| Loretta Solomon | I tried to create curriculum that would appeal to my students because it told the truth about US history and reflected characters who looked like them. |
| Lynette Lazarus | No comment |
| Margaret Myers | No comment |
| Maxwell Hibbard | Kids deserve to know the truth! |
| Michele Messer | As a parent and a school psychologist, I believe supporting understanding through perspective taking and contexualizing experience. I will support any and all efforts to dismantle systems that prevent students and families from reaching their potential. Critical thinking about our nation’s history is an essential step. |
| Monica Zimmerman | Being Unapologetically Me cannot be silenced. |
| Monique McKenney | No comment |
| Myfanwy Lucca | We were taught lies as kids. It’s up to us to teach the truth about our history. No more whitewashing! |
| Nadia Jlelaty | we will not be silenced! |
| Nathaniel Kim | protecting students' ability to understand the harmful history of our country is an imperative interdisciplinary necessity |
| Rafi Karjadi | No comment |
| Ryan Bing | No comment |
| Samantha Chomsky | No comment |
| Sarah Clemency | No comment |
| Sarah Duenas | No comment |
| Skyla Ruck | No comment |
| Spencer Koelle | Censorship is bad. |
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