No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has three pledges from Canby teachers by the end of the week ending March 12.
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 new Canby teachers included “It's important to me that my grandchildren understand that history has diverse perspectives and that many of those perspectives have been silenced by systemic oppression. We have to understand where we came from to be able to determine where we want to go and how to change course when necessary.” and “our students deserve to understand the US history from diverse perspectives. They need to understand that it is deep and complex in order to make wise decisions in the future. Understanding that the US was built upon the backs of slaves, immigrants and migrants and the poor will help students to question the current power structure in out 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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| James Moran | “no comment” |
| Chris Gilbert | our students deserve to understand the US history from diverse perspectives. They need to understand that it is deep and complex in order to make wise decisions in the future. Understanding that the US was built upon the backs of slaves, immigrants and migrants and the poor will help students to question the current power structure in out society. |
| Kathleen Jeskey | It's important to me that my grandchildren understand that history has diverse perspectives and that many of those perspectives have been silenced by systemic oppression. We have to understand where we came from to be able to determine where we want to go and how to change course when necessary. |
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