The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 7, the day before. It now has three pledges from Racine 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 Racine teachers included, "It is important for us to share ALL of our history and not just what is comfortable for us to recall. Our children deserve to know the truth about the past so they can make informed decisions about how to act and what to do in the future" and "I feel our students deserve to know the truth about our history, and be taught the history most of us did not learn about in school".
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 |
|---|---|
| Jody Zirkelbach | I feel our students deserve to know the truth about our history, and be taught the history most of us did not learn about in school. |
| Jody Zirkelbach | It is important for us to share ALL of our history and not just what is comfortable for us to recall. Our children deserve to know the truth about the past so they can make informed decisions about how to act and what to do in the future. |
| Keith Kohlmann | Only the truth can set you free... |
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