The pledge was signed by no teachers on Nov. 29, the day before. It now has nine pledges from Burlington 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 Burlington teachers included, "We cannot allow a witch hunt to block best practices in teaching and learning" and "My students need to learn the truth and white supremacy will not stop that".
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 |
|---|---|
| Christine Callahan | No comment |
| Gus Buchanan | No comment |
| Lillian Lawrence-Paine | No comment |
| Linden Higgins | Only through consideration of context and diverse points of view can we come to address the long-standing systemic racism in science and other fields of human knowledge. |
| Linden Higgins | We cannot allow a witch hunt to block best practices in teaching and learning. |
| Lionel Beasley | Truth matters. |
| Melissa Statz | My students need to learn the truth and white supremacy will not stop that. |
| Omega Jade Williams | I teach Black History through creative writing. I believe all historical facts should be free to discuss and learn about. History repeats itself when we don't take time to learn from our mistakes. Black History is part of American History. Every good, bad and ugly part of it. |
| Sharon Wheeler | I am trained as a middle school teacher and as a pastor it is important our youth understand all history including systematic racism. |
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