The pledge was signed by no teachers on Nov. 28, the day before. It now has 24 pledges from San Antonio 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 San Antonio teachers included, "I oppose prior restrictions on freedom of speech, and I oppose indoctrination of young people. I support the First Amendment and our democratic and civil rights" and "There is a continuous path connecting the violence and dispossession of colonialism and racism from the past to the present. To ban the discussion of these ever present realities in any place, but particularly in school and colleges, is to erase us the victims of this oppression, and to impose on us only one option, to surrender our humanity. Screw them!".
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 |
|---|---|
| Beth Elam | No comment |
| Carrie Damon | I will not lie to my students about the realities of historical events and how they are directly affected even today. |
| Christopher Green | I want to be part of the healing that needs to happen in this country. However, that is not possible unless we honestly examine the nation's history and collaboratively commit to repairing the trauma of colonialism. |
| David Carlson | I oppose prior restrictions on freedom of speech, and I oppose indoctrination of young people. I support the First Amendment and our democratic and civil rights. |
| Debbie Hoggard | As an educator, it is my responsibility to teach truth, authenticity, and inclusion in our curriculum, so as to better teach to the realities of ALL my students. |
| Elsa Duarte | although retired I support teaching the truth with multiple perspectives in the social sciences. This is outrageous and unconstitutional! It will be challenged & defeated!✊? |
| Gaylynne Levy | My students deserve to know their history and their role in history. |
| Héctor Reyes | There is a continuous path connecting the violence and dispossession of colonialism and racism from the past to the present. To ban the discussion of these ever present realities in any place, but particularly in school and colleges, is to erase us the victims of this oppression, and to impose on us only one option, to surrender our humanity. Screw them! |
| Joel Sanchez | Truth is truth. People who are trying to silence the truth are doing so becauae their beliefs are antithetical to progress, and they'd rather silence opposition than look at their own iniquity. |
| Kaitlin Popielarz | I pledge to teach the truth because I believe and practice in social studies education that supports students and educators to grow in historical, socio-cultural, political, and critical consciousness. As Paulo Freire reminds us: "There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom. |
| Kate Fraser | No comment |
| Lisa Ramos | I teach students multiple perspectives of our history. Teaching only about certain people and emphasizing their triumphs alone ignores other groups whose experiences are just as impactful for "our" history. Here, "our" means all of us, not just some of us! |
| Lisa S. | As an educator we are agents of change by default and must speak the truth no matter what…silence is abuse! |
| Lucero Saldana | I refuse to teach romanticized history and to be silenced. |
| Munoz M. | No comment |
| Natalie Clifford | No comment |
| Noe Garza | I believe it is the only way America will heal and eliminate white racist fascist nationalism. facing and admitting the truth is the first step. |
| Noe Garza | our nation can only set itself free when it’s people know the whole truth regardless how uncomfortable it is. Then we can begin to heal and make sure it is never repeated. Si Se Puede. |
| Samantha Vogel | Our future leaders will not be lied to, not in my classroom. Hiding from the complex and multicultural past will only worsen our future. |
| Shanna Hunter | My kids DESERVE to know the truth. They deserve to be taught real history and they deserve to know what happened to their ancestors. |
| Shanna Hunter | Texas says we have to teach the "other side of the Holocaust." WHAT OTHER SIDE??? Absolutely not. HB3979 is a JOKE and I will teach the TRUTH. |
| Stephanie Green | To think children are not aware if the inequalities that exist in their everyday lives is ignorant and insulting. Parents and educators have a duty to help them understand what they see, what they hear, and what they experience. Hiding from the ugly truth does not make it go away but only serves to make citizens unable to fight it and change it. A calculated attempt to weaken the populace through misinformation and ignorance is in direct opposition of what a representative government should be and should not be tolerated. |
| Valerie Martinez | #teachthetruth |
| Zach Wilson | How is it possible to teach about civics without discussing racism? How will our nation ever move past racism if it can't acknowledge that it happened in the first place? |
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