The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 7, the day before. It now has 14 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, "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" and "Anti-racist teaching matters and I vow to help train teacher candidates to be anti-racist!".
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 |
| Calvin Eaton | I am committed to the facts. |
| David Sutliff-Atias | No comment |
| Dorothy Mapes | No comment |
| 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. |
| Jon Hardy | No comment |
| Joshua Cornue | 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. |
| 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. |
| Melanie Shaw | No comment |
| 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. |
| Shane Wiegand | Our children deserve to learn the truth about our history! If we love our communities we have to love them enough to hold both the good and bad parts of our history. |
| 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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