The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 24, the day before. It now has six pledges from Fairfield 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 Fairfield teachers included, "During the Cold War and throughtout the 150-year reign of Confederate-apologist revisionist historians, our textbooks were santized. The truth about slavery, the genocide of indigenous peoples, and white male supremacy were purposefully buried under a romantic Lost Cause Mythology. It has taken a 30-year teaching career of research, reading and uncovering the documentary evidence to see the truth behind the lies. Those lies poisoned generations of young learners to be blind to the realities of systemic racism, colonialism and militarism. And, I was part of the problem, as I was indoctrinating those children in those lies, until I found the truth. LCM (lost Cause Mythology) has been the greatest threat to national progress, because it has prevented any reconciliation of past crimes, any clear re-evaluation of our institutions, and all reassessement of our direction as a culture. I am eternally grateful to Howard Zinn, James Loewen, Eric Foner, David Blight, John Hope Franklin, Charles Dew, Edward Baptist, Carol Anderson, Mary Ann Franks, Frederick Douglass, Chief Joseph, Clint Smith, Ron Chernow, Louise Erdrich, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Sally Hemmings, Sassacus and all the people of color and courageous activitists who left their documents behind, giving their lives in the defense of truth and justice. My young students are being empowered with that truth and, they are our only hope that the future will redeem the past" and "History has to be taught more accurately and responsibly to better inform and educate our society. We have a responsibility to the past, ourselves, and to future generations to do so".
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 |
|---|---|
| Adrien Logsdon | No comment |
| Chris Parisi | During the Cold War and throughtout the 150-year reign of Confederate-apologist revisionist historians, our textbooks were santized. The truth about slavery, the genocide of indigenous peoples, and white male supremacy were purposefully buried under a romantic Lost Cause Mythology. It has taken a 30-year teaching career of research, reading and uncovering the documentary evidence to see the truth behind the lies. Those lies poisoned generations of young learners to be blind to the realities of systemic racism, colonialism and militarism. And, I was part of the problem, as I was indoctrinating those children in those lies, until I found the truth. LCM (lost Cause Mythology) has been the greatest threat to national progress, because it has prevented any reconciliation of past crimes, any clear re-evaluation of our institutions, and all reassessement of our direction as a culture. I am eternally grateful to Howard Zinn, James Loewen, Eric Foner, David Blight, John Hope Franklin, Charles Dew, Edward Baptist, Carol Anderson, Mary Ann Franks, Frederick Douglass, Chief Joseph, Clint Smith, Ron Chernow, Louise Erdrich, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Sally Hemmings, Sassacus and all the people of color and courageous activitists who left their documents behind, giving their lives in the defense of truth and justice. My young students are being empowered with that truth and, they are our only hope that the future will redeem the past. |
| Gregory Wickenkamp | No comment |
| Ken Hoin | “The role of education at all social levels remains one of the best ways to stop the proliferation of racist and discriminatory discourses and to foster intercultural exchanges.”UNESCO report, 2018 |
| Pam Williamson | It's time to end the lies. It's time for the United States to own up to its real history - the good and the bad. |
| Robert Bonifacio | History has to be taught more accurately and responsibly to better inform and educate our society. We have a responsibility to the past, ourselves, and to future generations to do so. |
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