No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Woodburn teachers by the end of the week ending April 2.
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.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| San Juana Acosta | “no comment” |
| Susan Droke | teaching students about literature and language is impossible without making connections to history, context, critical thinking, research, current events. I believe that state-sanctioned suppression of knowledge will lead to an even more-fractured, biased, and racist society. As an educator, my commitment is to help students develop their knowledge and skills for critical thinking, not to cripple this capacity. |
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