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 Katy teachers included, "We, the undersigned educators, refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events — regardless of the law" and "I feel they deserve to hear to truth, to struggle with it, and to reconcile with it. It is an insult to lie to them because some aren’t capable of accepting the true history of our 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 | Thoughts on Critical Race Theory |
|---|---|
| Ashlyn Wardenburg | during a global pandemic teachers have so much more to worry about than legislators signing new laws to control their classroom |
| Kyle Brown | I feel they deserve to hear to truth, to struggle with it, and to reconcile with it. It is an insult to lie to them because some aren’t capable of accepting the true history of our country. |
| Phillip Sanders | We, the undersigned educators, refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events — regardless of the law. |
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