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.
The Milwaukee teacher wrote "My students can only change the system if they understand how it came to exist; my students deserve better; we need to honor our cultural differences and to accept them and each other— just because a white student is made uncomfortable by a discussion doesn’t mean the discussion/debate should not happen in a classroom— we don’t selectively get to choose the white man’s version of history and reality!" when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
|---|---|
| Laura Geibel | My students can only change the system if they understand how it came to exist; my students deserve better; we need to honor our cultural differences and to accept them and each other— just because a white student is made uncomfortable by a discussion doesn’t mean the discussion/debate should not happen in a classroom— we don’t selectively get to choose the white man’s version of history and reality! |
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