The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 21, the day before. It now has four pledges from Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg teachers included, "Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. (Chinua Achebe)" and "Narrowing or eliminating academic freedom is a crime. Forcing teachers not to teach the truth as they understand it is a crime. My father was a high school teacher in NYC and was witch hunted during the McCarthy period. I know the terrible toll persecution takes on teachers, their families, their colleagues, and their students".
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 |
|---|---|
| Alan Wallach | Narrowing or eliminating academic freedom is a crime. Forcing teachers not to teach the truth as they understand it is a crime. My father was a high school teacher in NYC and was witch hunted during the McCarthy period. I know the terrible toll persecution takes on teachers, their families, their colleagues, and their students. |
| Corinna Ferro | Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. (Chinua Achebe) |
| Cynthia Soueidan | students must learn to review credible sources and think about them critically. In their research, students must closely examine cause and effect to understand historical patterns and forge the future for their own generation as we did for ours. |
| Stephanie Cohen | No comment |
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