St. Paul Reporter

There were no new teachers in St. Paul who signed the pledge on April 21, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on April 20, the day before. It now has 49 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, "Will always teach the truth, no matter what!#oppressedpeopleunite" and "History education is supposed to help us understand the past and present. We should not be trying to cover up the past".

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
Cheryl Wilgren	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
Jenny Wrenson	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.
Qorsho Hassan	No comment
Sarah Smith	Students deserve to know the truth and all people should be valued celebrated and heard.
Shannon Schuver	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.
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.