The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 24, the day before. It now has 22 pledges from Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas teachers included, "I teach facts and I refuse to lie. Teaching is not about staying comfortable" and "Kids should be taught truths, and teachers should not be censored".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amber Nancarrow | it is important to examine our country’s origins from all sides with objective ness like we would other countries. Ignoring the truths only continues the hurt of so many groups of people on our country. |
| Amy Pippins | Kids should be taught truths, and teachers should not be censored. |
| Brian Leslie | educators need to stand together against the hysteria the GOP is whipping up for the sake of 2022 election and the legislation being put forth is 100% unethical. Teachers are very much used to abuse & terrible pay. We will suffer the consequences in order to violate these new laws and not blink an eye. |
| Chad Finley | We cannot equip our students to change the world if we first lie to them about the world they are inheriting. |
| Dana Ziegler | It is time we stop covering up our past, take responsibility for it & learn from it. It is time for change. |
| Danny Hergenrader | Lying to my students is something I'll never do. America is still a land of unfulfilled potential. We must talk about our failures to learn. |
| Diane Hardy | My students come from very diverse backgrounds. They are intelligent critical thinkers, who can tackle difficult subjects with civility. |
| Jack James | No comment |
| Jenifer King | Students deserve the truth of the building and the sustenance of our nation. They will be the ones to dismantle the horrific systems designed and built by oppressors, enslavers, rapists, murderers, and supremacists, but as long as they are taught the whitewash, they will continue to believe that they are either entitled to be superior (white) or that they don't really exist (all other colors and backgrounds). We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. |
| Karoline Khamis | Teaching true history replaces hate with conversation. |
| Kathy Stephens | No comment |
| Kendralyn Starlyn Hose | A better future for my daughter! |
| Kenneth Brown | What can be said about a nation that would choose to actively lie about its history instead of facing the truth? Is the premise and promise of America so weak that it cannot withstand a look in the mirror? If it is, then we no longer should refer to ourselves as exceptional in any meaning of the word. We should earn our place in the world by acknowledging and correcting past mistakes without self-congratulation for doing so. If we want America to truly be great, we must first acknowledge that the supposed greatness has come at the expense of peoples who are responsible for building the nation. |
| Kristalle Herda | No comment |
| Mikkel Canlapan | I believe in the truth of history, not matter how bleak or how upsetting. You cannot not tell me that America was built on racism if the U.S systematically destroyed Indigenous culture and peoples. But most importantly, it’s absurd to assume a student cannot separate history from the modern day. |
| Misty Bennett | I teach facts and I refuse to lie. Teaching is not about staying comfortable. |
| Nancy Drew | No comment |
| Petty Phile | We must show our children that we can express real love, real physical love for them particularly after class. |
| Sara Nix | No comment |
| Sean Gratrix | The truth will out. |
| Steven Gaskill | Our children deserve to know the truth about the world they live in, how it came to be this way, and how they can work to make their lives better. It is morally wrong to condemn children to ignorance about the sins of their fathers. Standing by silently while this happens can only lead to future violence as the children of the oppressed grow up and come to find out for themselves that not only are their compatriots benefiting from centuries of oppression, they are also suppressing the truth. Only the most contemptible cowards and evil fascists among us would be so afraid of the truth that they would pass laws banning teachers from empowering children with it. |
| Tiffanie Sherman | No comment |
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