No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has one pledge from Hermiston teachers by the end of the week ending Sep. 18.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Lisa Chretien | I am tired of telling the truth and then being told I need to change what I say by administration. The truth hurts, not to be trite about it at all. I am not saying that America is evil, I am saying that we have built a lot of curriculum around lies and we continue to teach those lies despite overwhelming evidence that the truth is the right thing to do. |
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