The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 23, the day before. It now has 29 pledges from Rochester 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 Rochester teachers included, "I believe it is the responsibility of every educator to help students develop critical thinking and learn how to evaluate historical fact from propaganda" and "I believe that children deserve to know the truth about our country, culture, and history. Now and forever".
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 |
|---|---|
| Alexis Stubbe | No comment |
| Amy Schramm | No comment |
| Calvin Eaton | I am committed to the facts. |
| Claire Labrosa | Solidarity! The truth will set us free. |
| Corinne Calabretta | No comment |
| David Sutliff-Atias | No comment |
| Dorothy Mapes | No comment |
| Jeanie Anderson | while this may be uncomfortable for many, it is an imperative first step toward accepting that much of what we were taught both at school and at home has been completely false. |
| Jennifer Little | The curriculum in its entirety is incomplete and does not educate students about the actual US history of structural racism in the US beginning with the European colonization. Marginalized people are also still underrepresented in all aspects of current US k-12 curriculum across all subjects. |
| Jessie Nimeh | Children must know the truth to make the future better |
| Jon Hardy | No comment |
| Joshua Cornue | No comment |
| Kathryn Rebholz | No comment |
| Kelli Ragin | Education based on lies is no education at all! |
| Kelly Begy | I believe that children deserve to know the truth about our country, culture, and history. Now and forever. |
| Kristen French | No comment |
| Kristine Fredrick | We inhabit the ancestral home of the Haudenasaunee people along the banks of the Genesee River, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes. We use their language and names for many natural phenomena but we do not know the meanings of the words. |
| Lara Andree | I refuse to lie to my students and perpetuate white supremacy. |
| Laura Delehanty | No comment |
| Lisa Levi | oppression and systematic racism has gone on too long. I have done my part to embrace all children, but more needs to be done at a higher level. |
| Mariko Yamada | No comment |
| Melanie Shaw | No comment |
| Nancy Ares | My students deserve to know a fuller story |
| Rev. James Swarts | I believe it is the responsibility of every educator to help students develop critical thinking and learn how to evaluate historical fact from propaganda. |
| Sheila Eagan | No comment |
| Shelby Otis | No comment |
| Susan Meier | As a 63 year old 42 year education veteran, the deficits in my personal history education continue to emerge and are appalling and inexcusable. This can't continue to happen. It is critically important that current propaganda efforts about the 2020 election, voting rights, history teaching and anti-racism, and the historic oppression of various groups across American history and the parallels to other oppressions across world history are met with loud, continuous, and effective truth-telling. |
| Susan Sturm | Anti-racist teaching matters and I vow to help train teacher candidates to be anti-racist! |
| Suzanne Dixon | No comment |
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