The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has 16 pledges from Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati teachers included, "A people who do not know their history are lost! As a lifelong learner, I was taught to be a critical thinker and I don’t want this opportunity taken from generations to come. I am a retired educator and my mother was also an educator and a retired librarian. I want all children and young people, especially those who look like me are of an Indigenous background to know the struggles we faced and decide on ways to make the future better" and "It is the truth that will make us free. Children of all ages need to know the history of this country as it directly affects the present. We must teach our students to be interruptors of the status quo not perpetrators of it. The truth heals".
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 |
|---|---|
| Colleen Soppelsa | I believe in addressing Root Cause Racism. |
| Cooper Simmons | I pledge to teach the truth and an educators purpose is someone who leades others out of ignorance. |
| Gail Bloom | Kids deserve the truth |
| Glenetta Krause | The truth is the ONLY THING that will set us free. |
| Heather Gerker | Today’s students will be tomorrow’s educators and policymakers, and it is vital to dismantlingsystemic racism that more individuals have a deep understanding of critical race theory, andways to counter and eliminate systemic racism and bias. |
| Kate Reidel | No comment |
| Kevin Shearer | My students deserve and need to know the true history of their country. We can’t expect our leaders of tomorrow to lead without being given all the necessary information. |
| Krista Taylor | We can not move forward from the past until we can acknowledge the uncomfortable truths of the past, take responsibility for them, and then plan and implement accountability and reconciliation measures. |
| Lindsay Laroche | my students deserve to know the truth about our country and why things are the way they are today. |
| Marisa Groh | I fear the growing influence of disinformation in our society. While my school district currently has no Black teachers or administrators, we have a growing population of BIPOC students, and we need to seek ways to increase understanding and justice in our community. |
| Marita Beachy-Owusu | Only from acknowledging the truth of our history can we learn from it, restore justice and be better and progress as a society. The true history of each student’s identity deserves and needs to be taught. Our students deserve more. They deserve the truth and we need to hold ourselves accountable for the true history of this country and the lives it’s built upon. |
| Matt Wizinsky | The Preamble to the US Constitution succinctly names the ongoing mission of democracy with the words: " In order to create a more perfect union..." We cannot move forward to create a better version of our union without acknowledging and understanding how got from the past to the present. |
| Peter Robinson | The very existence of this country and its ideals, founded on enlightened principles that liberty cannot exist without the free pursuit of truth, is in peril by this censorship. |
| Robin Cooper | It is the truth that will make us free. Children of all ages need to know the history of this country as it directly affects the present. We must teach our students to be interruptors of the status quo not perpetrators of it. The truth heals. |
| Samantha Messer | No comment |
| Yolonda Kelsor | A people who do not know their history are lost! As a lifelong learner, I was taught to be a critical thinker and I don’t want this opportunity taken from generations to come. I am a retired educator and my mother was also an educator and a retired librarian. I want all children and young people, especially those who look like me are of an Indigenous background to know the struggles we faced and decide on ways to make the future better. |
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