The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 22, the day before. It now has eight 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, "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" and "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".
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 |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Tara Miller | Educators need to regularly revise and increase their comfort with teaching pre-k to grade 6 truthful, culturally appropriate and age appropriate topics in social justice and history. |
| 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. |
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