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.
The Canton teacher wrote "The truth matters. I see and experience the sexism, racism, classism and other forms of this oppressive system every day and see it in our schools whenever kids are bullied and harassed. To turn that around, the rest of society has to acknowledge that they are based on systems of oppression and change it. The first step is seeing it for what it is and educating ourselves about it." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
|---|---|
| Esther Oey | The truth matters. I see and experience the sexism, racism, classism and other forms of this oppressive system every day and see it in our schools whenever kids are bullied and harassed. To turn that around, the rest of society has to acknowledge that they are based on systems of oppression and change it. The first step is seeing it for what it is and educating ourselves about it. |
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