No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has three pledges from Williamsburg teachers by the end of the week ending March 12.
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 new Williamsburg teachers included “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.” and “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. (Chinua Achebe)”.
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 |
|---|---|
| Stephanie Cohen | “no comment” |
| 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. |
| Corinna Ferro | Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. (Chinua Achebe) |
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