The pledge was signed by 20 teachers the month before. It now has 20 pledges from Lansing teachers by June.
They are 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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Heather Wingett | “no comment” |
| Renee Fields | The truth matters. |
| Todd Simon | These laws are detrimental to democracy and free speech. |
| Dan Kemsley | Truth must prevail. |
| 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. |
| Amber Butler | Truth matters. |
| Katherine Franklin | White-washing history for the comfort of the privileged perpetuates racist systems and institutions. |
| Natalie Queen | Students deserve to know the truth |
| Brittany Szombati | The truth matters! |
| Thomas Delong | “no comment” |
| Rosaline Kuiper-Price | History should be taught from as many vantage points as possible. We need to be culturally responsive in educating our children. |
| 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. |
| Megan Dewall | “no comment” |
| Andrew Tisdale | “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. |
| Erin Bronstein | “no comment” |
| Stephanie Brokstad-Franks | “no comment” |
| Jill Horn | “no comment” |
| Chloe Hutcherson | I care about the real American history |
| Jeff Gower | The truth matters |
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