The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 4, the day before. It now has one pledge from East Orange teacher.
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.
The East Orange teacher wrote "I believe that educators have the moral obligation to teach truthful and factual information. Assuming that the information is age-appropriate, is important that we share that truth regardless of whether it makes some people uncomfortable or not. Our Black and Brown students have had to feel uncomfortable for centuries hearing that they were less than and hearing some parts of the racial injustice their ancestors have experienced. It is imperative that they also hear the true and complete story of what happened in their history so that they can understand that they have a legacy of resilience and over-coming." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
|---|---|
| Rose Dumenigo | I believe that educators have the moral obligation to teach truthful and factual information. Assuming that the information is age-appropriate, is important that we share that truth regardless of whether it makes some people uncomfortable or not. Our Black and Brown students have had to feel uncomfortable for centuries hearing that they were less than and hearing some parts of the racial injustice their ancestors have experienced. It is imperative that they also hear the true and complete story of what happened in their history so that they can understand that they have a legacy of resilience and over-coming. |
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