The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has four pledges from Sandy 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 Sandy teachers included, "American history is the history of ALL American people, not just white dominant culture" and "We must teach the truth about our history or we are "bound to repeat it!" I believe we can all handle the truth!".
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 |
|---|---|
| Carrie Scaife | American history is the history of ALL American people, not just white dominant culture. |
| Katie Wilkinson | I want my son, and my students to learn to think critically about the world around them. Whitewashing history and the world will not prepare them for lives outside of school, and outside of their parents. |
| Rubina Halwani | Utah just banned teaching critical race theory in k-12 schools. I would like to help shed light on this topic and raise awareness. I want to advocate for better understanding and change. |
| Shannon Cox | We must teach the truth about our history or we are "bound to repeat it!" I believe we can all handle the truth! |
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