The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 23, the day before. It now has eight pledges from Swampscott 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 Swampscott teachers included, "As a teacher I am committed to educating my students about the truth, about facts, and about how power can manipulate information and people. Legislation that aims to hide how our country was founded in part on oppression is a living example of this manipulation" and "Though we can not "change history" we need to be cognizant of the "true facts" that we need to present and portray to our students to show our younger generation how things were, how things are now, and where we need to go in terms of discrimination, racial inequality, and the evolution of change. That hopefully has and will make us all appreciate our country and become better more informed nation..".
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 |
|---|---|
| Chris Norkun | No comment |
| Erin Wilson | No comment |
| Eve Levy | No comment |
| Holly Flanagan | No comment |
| Joseph Douillette | As a teacher I am committed to educating my students about the truth, about facts, and about how power can manipulate information and people. Legislation that aims to hide how our country was founded in part on oppression is a living example of this manipulation. |
| Kaitlyn Thomas | No comment |
| Richard Gardella | Though we can not "change history" we need to be cognizant of the "true facts" that we need to present and portray to our students to show our younger generation how things were, how things are now, and where we need to go in terms of discrimination, racial inequality, and the evolution of change. That hopefully has and will make us all appreciate our country and become better more informed nation... |
| Tessa Prendergast | No comment |
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