No new teachers in Hayward sign pledge on Dec. 18 to teach Critical Race Theory

By Central Alameda News

Dec 20, 2021

There were no new teachers in Hayward who signed the pledge on Dec. 18, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 17, the day before. It now has seven pledges from Hayward 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 Hayward teachers included, "We can’t learn from our history and become a more just society if we don’t teach our actual history. We owe our students the truth; our democracy depends on it" and "I’m a teacher committed to truth and justice. I will not lie and continue to push a whitewashed narrative about the history of this country".

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 in Hayward who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Diana Levy	No comment
Farima Pour-Khorshid	No comment
Giavanni Coleman	The truth must be taught, even if it makes us uncomfortable! This is necessary for us to build a true Democracy moving forward.
Kara Desmond	our history is filled with both pain and progress. In order to heal and start to move forward, it is paramount that we acknowledge the truth and learn from the history of racism in order to rise above the power that it still holds on our society.
Nichole Pickett	No comment
Sarah Clark	We can’t learn from our history and become a more just society if we don’t teach our actual history. We owe our students the truth; our democracy depends on it.
Tracey Mansfield	I’m a teacher committed to truth and justice. I will not lie and continue to push a whitewashed narrative about the history of this country.