The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 23, the day before. It now has one pledge from Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen teacher wrote "I teach literature written by people of color. If we discuss any of it, we end up being critical of and scrutinizing white people’s role in the oppression of these writers and the characters they write about. We don’t take sides in my classes, but we do discuss things. My students need to see other perspectives, especially some of my more sheltered white students." 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 |
|---|---|
| Rebecca Beittel | I teach literature written by people of color. If we discuss any of it, we end up being critical of and scrutinizing white people’s role in the oppression of these writers and the characters they write about. We don’t take sides in my classes, but we do discuss things. My students need to see other perspectives, especially some of my more sheltered white students. |
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