St. Paul Reporter

Critical Race Theory will be taught by two more teachers in St. Paul, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by 37 teachers the week before. It now has 46 pledges from St. Paul teachers by the end of the week ending Jan. 22.

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 new St. Paul teacher wrote “I'm committed to representing all of my students' diverse experiences and identities through the texts we read. Literature provides an insight into others' experiences and enables understanding, empathy and empowerment to flourish. When one person's experiences differ from our own, we can learn. And they can learn from us. This is the power of education.” 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
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.
Shannon Schuver	“no comment”
Ann Griffin	I believe our children deserve the truth. I believe in them.
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.
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.
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.
Qorsho Hassan	“no comment”
Blanca Caldas Chumbes	“no comment”
Joel Juen	It is more important now than ever to teach an accurate version of history.
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.
Katie Piehl	“no comment”
Alexa Ramirez	“no comment”
Kally Muenster	Teaching our children the nation’s correct history is so important. We need that so the system can change.
Kelsey Funk	“no comment”
Mary Eisinger	“no comment”
Carson O'Doubhlain	“no comment”
Calee Cecconi	“no comment”
Valerie Shirley	Will always teach the truth, no matter what!#oppressedpeopleunite
Angela Wilcox	Otherwise I have no business being an educator. This is our job!
Mark Roudané	Our historical amnesia, especially with respect to Black history, is shameful. Anti-racist education is urgently needed!
Nicola Turnet	I want the truth to be told.
Jane Gottfried	“no comment”
Mara Johnson	it's the right thing to do and because children deserve to learn the truth about our history.
Ann Hebble	“no comment”
Tom Lucy	“no comment”
Laura Weaver	If we don't learn about our history, we are doomed to repeat it.
Brionna Harder	“no comment”
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.
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.
Tiffany Dreher	“no comment”
Danielle Deschaine	“no comment”
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.
David Cobbins	Teaching the truth is vital to our students and society. It will help us move forward with the struggles we face today.
Laura Tucci	History education is supposed to help us understand the past and present. We should not be trying to cover up the past.
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.
Bobbie Olson	All students benefit from learning the true history of the United States of America.
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.
Matthew Hausman	A true and complete account of history is imperative.
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.
Nick Miller	Progress is made by knowing and understanding our history, not by pretending it never happened.
Glenn Thomas	I believe in telling students the truth about our country's history.
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.
Kelsey Groebner	Truth matters, regardless of how difficult it is to face.
Sarah Smith	Students deserve to know the truth and all people should be valued celebrated and heard.
Anna Robinson	“no comment”
Cheryl Wilgren	“no comment”
Tara Miller	I'm committed to representing all of my students' diverse experiences and identities through the texts we read. Literature provides an insight into others' experiences and enables understanding, empathy and empowerment to flourish. When one person's experiences differ from our own, we can learn. And they can learn from us. This is the power of education.