The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 9, the day before. It now has five pledges from Newark 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 Newark teachers included, "Because the truth matters and it is time to tell the truth" and "I believe that we must confront the truths, good and bad, about our collective histories in order to grow as a country and communities".
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 |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Farley-Ripple | I believe that we must confront the truths, good and bad, about our collective histories in order to grow as a country and communities. |
| Elizabeth Soslau | Because the truth matters and it is time to tell the truth. |
| Eric Sisofo | Hiding the truth doesn’t help us learn from past wrongdoings. |
| Sade Montano | No comment |
| Stephanie Kotch-Jester | As teacher educators, we have the responsibility to empower our future teachers to Teach Truth and to become change agents! It is our professional responsibility! |
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