The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 20, the day before. It now has two pledges from Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg teachers included, "I am committed to teaching social justice and making schools a safe place for all of my students. I see it as a responsibility to teach students the truth so that they learn empathy at an early age and use their critical thinking skills to create a more just world. Without knowing the truth, students can’t know how to move forward in fairness" and "My job as an educator is to guide students in practice of their critical thinking skills. To ask questions which build understanding of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the past, the present, and the future. I refuse to ignore that/those which/who has/have been systematically erased and ignored in this practice".
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 |
|---|---|
| Ali Haverty | My job as an educator is to guide students in practice of their critical thinking skills. To ask questions which build understanding of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the past, the present, and the future. I refuse to ignore that/those which/who has/have been systematically erased and ignored in this practice. |
| Josephine Valentine | I am committed to teaching social justice and making schools a safe place for all of my students. I see it as a responsibility to teach students the truth so that they learn empathy at an early age and use their critical thinking skills to create a more just world. Without knowing the truth, students can’t know how to move forward in fairness. |
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