No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has one pledge from Franklin teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 Franklin teacher wrote “Before I even knew what CRT was, I was teaching as best I could the history of white supremacy (without using this term). After all, American history cannot be understood without considering the "dominator culture" (bell hook's term) that has been central to the American experience.Critical for teaching history, CRT rejects the belief that what's in the past is only in the past. It also rejects, as any historian should, the belief that the laws and systems that grew and continue to grow from that past are detached from that past. (Hello to the Expose Critical Race Theory people. You are doing a disservice to everyone.)” 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 |
|---|---|
| Lee Durham Stone | Before I even knew what CRT was, I was teaching as best I could the history of white supremacy (without using this term). After all, American history cannot be understood without considering the "dominator culture" (bell hook's term) that has been central to the American experience.Critical for teaching history, CRT rejects the belief that what's in the past is only in the past. It also rejects, as any historian should, the belief that the laws and systems that grew and continue to grow from that past are detached from that past. (Hello to the Expose Critical Race Theory people. You are doing a disservice to everyone.) |
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