The pledge was signed by no teachers on Oct. 21, the day before. It now has 45 pledges from St. Paul 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 St. Paul teachers included, "Progress is made by knowing and understanding our history, not by pretending it never happened" and "I will never lie to students, especially about our nation’s history. It is vital for our students’ to learn about the oppressive forces that shaped our country and how they continue to do damage to so many".
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 |
|---|---|
| Alexa Ramirez | No comment |
| Amanda Madsen | The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieves his own identity." - James BaldwinI stand in solidarity with my fellow educators who are being silenced in teaching children to think critically for themselves. |
| Amy Lyga | I care about all parts of my students' identities and history. I care about the mental health of my students and my students' families - and their future. |
| Angela Wilcox | Otherwise I have no business being an educator. This is our job! |
| Ann Griffin | I believe our children deserve the truth. I believe in them. |
| Ann Hebble | No comment |
| Anna Robinson | No comment |
| Beau Pin | It is a moral responsibility to help young people to understand that racism existed throughout history and that generational poverty is a product of systemic racism. |
| Blanca Caldas Chumbes | No comment |
| Bobbie Olson | All students benefit from learning the true history of the United States of America. |
| Brian Lozenski | The educational ideal cannot be suppressed. Liberatory education is the imperative of the black freedom struggle. I stand in solidarity with educators who want to make a better world. |
| Brian Lozenski | You cannot legislate against truth. You cannot negotiate liberation. I will always teach about the knowledge, lives, struggles, and triumphs of my ancestors. |
| Brionna Harder | No comment |
| Calee Cecconi | No comment |
| Carson O'Doubhlain | No comment |
| Danielle Deschaine | No comment |
| David Cobbins | Teaching the truth is vital to our students and society. It will help us move forward with the struggles we face today. |
| Deidre Druk | I believe teachers should teach the truth about US History showing what is beautiful and what is not so beautiful in order to create a better tomorrow. I want to be in solidarity with others who believe this too. |
| Glenn Thomas | I believe in telling students the truth about our country's history. |
| Heather Gustafson | We teach events and policies that shaped history. We're sharing information, not ideology. Let's learn what really happened and who it happened to, our students can handle it. |
| Jane Gottfried | No comment |
| Joel Juen | It is more important now than ever to teach an accurate version of history. |
| Kally Muenster | Teaching our children the nation’s correct history is so important. We need that so the system can change. |
| Katie Piehl | No comment |
| Kelsey Funk | No comment |
| Kelsey Groebner | Truth matters, regardless of how difficult it is to face. |
| Laura Tucci | History education is supposed to help us understand the past and present. We should not be trying to cover up the past. |
| Laura Weaver | If we don't learn about our history, we are doomed to repeat it. |
| Mara Johnson | it's the right thing to do and because children deserve to learn the truth about our history. |
| Mark Roudané | Our historical amnesia, especially with respect to Black history, is shameful. Anti-racist education is urgently needed! |
| Marni Wilson | It is very important to me to teach the truth. My students of this high diverse high school deserve to know and understand everything about the history of the U.S. No history is complete without including the voices of all people. |
| Mary Eisinger | No comment |
| Matthew Hausman | A true and complete account of history is imperative. |
| Megan Lewandowski | I will never lie to students, especially about our nation’s history. It is vital for our students’ to learn about the oppressive forces that shaped our country and how they continue to do damage to so many. |
| Michael White | Our students must learn facts about our history. As a gay parent of an adopted child of color, husband, and Elementary Dean, I'm committed to supporting curriculum that reflects all of my students and their families, including mine. A ban on teaching facts is never OK. |
| Nancy Yang | Our children and people should know the truth and learned from it to make the world a better place to live for all. |
| Nick Miller | Progress is made by knowing and understanding our history, not by pretending it never happened. |
| Nicola Turnet | I want the truth to be told. |
| Sarah Smith | Students deserve to know the truth and all people should be valued celebrated and heard. |
| Shannon Schuver | No comment |
| Theresa Haider | the damage in lying to students results in the current state of affairs. I will not lie to my students about how this nation was founded, and I fully support the 1619 project. Anyone who feels otherwise has a lot of work to do before they understand the massive impact of systemic racism. |
| Tiffany Dreher | No comment |
| Tom Lucy | No comment |
| Valerie Shirley | Will always teach the truth, no matter what!#oppressedpeopleunite |
| Wendy Harris | The whole story is so important to understanding who we are and how we to this point. And in making the world a better place. |
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