The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 19, the day before. It now has two pledges from Norwich 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 Norwich teachers included, "It is important for all of us to know all of our history, good and bad. I feel for the students in those states who will not have access to key history unless their parents or communities can support them" and "Racism and white supremacy has been a continuing ideology and set of policies and laws that any learner would need to understand to improve their community. No history can have any integrity without a thorough grounding in the events, social processes, legislation, conflicts, and belief systems of the countless agents for change and improvement towards racial justice and the legions of actors trying to hold back the beloved community".
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 |
|---|---|
| Karen Davenport-Diaz | It is important for all of us to know all of our history, good and bad. I feel for the students in those states who will not have access to key history unless their parents or communities can support them. |
| Steve Schumacher | Racism and white supremacy has been a continuing ideology and set of policies and laws that any learner would need to understand to improve their community. No history can have any integrity without a thorough grounding in the events, social processes, legislation, conflicts, and belief systems of the countless agents for change and improvement towards racial justice and the legions of actors trying to hold back the beloved community. |
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