No new teachers in Lansing sign pledge in week ending Dec. 25 to teach Critical Race Theory

By Capitol News

Dec 30, 2021

There were no new teachers in Lansing who signed the pledge in week ending Dec. 25, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 20 pledges from Lansing teachers by the end of the week ending Dec. 25.

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 in Lansing who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Jeff Gower	The truth matters
Chloe Hutcherson	I care about the real American history
Jill Horn	“no comment”
Stephanie Brokstad-Franks	“no comment”
Erin Bronstein	“no comment”
Kimberlyn Fauson	The legislators creating these bills are spinning a narrative that is simply incorrect. Teaching about oppression throughout U.S. history isn't divisive. It helps students understand how the past influences the present so that we can build a more perfect union together.
Andrew Tisdale	“no comment”
Megan Dewall	“no comment”
Travis Neller	It’s simply the right thing to do. History is learned because it helps us know what happened and why it happened. All information and events needs to be taught.
Rosaline Kuiper-Price	History should be taught from as many vantage points as possible. We need to be culturally responsive in educating our children.
Thomas Delong	“no comment”
Brittany Szombati	The truth matters!
Natalie Queen	Students deserve to know the truth
Katherine Franklin	White-washing history for the comfort of the privileged perpetuates racist systems and institutions.
Amber Butler	Truth matters.
Tiernan O’rourke	My students are smart. They can learn that history is full of struggles. They need to learn that history is full of struggles, so the future doesn’t have so many.
Dan Kemsley	Truth must prevail.
Todd Simon	These laws are detrimental to democracy and free speech.
Renee Fields	The truth matters.
Heather Wingett	“no comment”