The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 28, the day before. It now has 38 pledges from San Jose 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 San Jose teachers included, "We cannot become "a more perfect union" without confronting the injustices of our shared past" and "I have devoted the last 45 years of my career in education to truth-telling. I have founded three Black-led organizations and co-founded one Black-led organization focused on resisting oppression and teaching Black students to thrive in spite of it. A Black Education Network (ABEN) has quietly done this work without seeking the spotlight because we intentionally live outside of the White gaze. We have never been bullied and don’t plan to be on this issue either. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing predicted this violent response to truth-telling 40 years ago so ABEN is not at all surprised!".
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 |
|---|---|
| Ami Byrne | My students deserve to know the truth about the past and to understand the legacies and connections these events still have in our communities today. Young people deserve to learn about the diversity of experiences and to see themselves reflected in stories of resilience and resistance to systems of oppression. The truth matters! |
| Amy Vosburg-Casey | Only when people know the truth from all perspectives can they make just decisions for themselves, their families and their communities. Young people deserve to know these truths as they lead us all into our future. |
| Beth Hankoff | Teachers have an obligation to teach the truth to their students. What is the point of teaching History if it is only taught from one perspective - that of the "victor?" We do not study it to memorize facts out of context; we study it to understand our world - past, present, and future. So we can learn lessons that have come before and hope never to repeat them. We cannot learn these lessons if an entire race's perspective and story are left out of the classroom. This is disgraceful and immoral. |
| Bradley Mautz | I believe that the truth should be taught and heard. We must be able to think critically founded in the truth. |
| Bret Linvill | we can’t move forward unless we honestly acknowledge the truth. |
| Brian Wheatley | If Black and brown children are old enough to experience racism, White kids are old enough to learn about it! |
| Cap Wilhelm-Safian | We cannot become "a more perfect union" without confronting the injustices of our shared past. |
| Cesar Rodrigo Juarez Ruiz | Uplifting the voices of marginalized communities brings us closer to a world free of systems of oppression. |
| Debra Watkins | I have devoted the last 45 years of my career in education to truth-telling. I have founded three Black-led organizations and co-founded one Black-led organization focused on resisting oppression and teaching Black students to thrive in spite of it. A Black Education Network (ABEN) has quietly done this work without seeking the spotlight because we intentionally live outside of the White gaze. We have never been bullied and don’t plan to be on this issue either. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing predicted this violent response to truth-telling 40 years ago so ABEN is not at all surprised! |
| Deidre Savino | No comment |
| Delorme McKeestovall | Because as part of my duties as the former Director of the Santa Clara County Office of Human Rights we were involved in providing more accurate information about the history of the residents culture to reduce conflict and create new understanding and respect. Any attempt to destroy or ignore the truth of American history is an attack ok this democratic experiment and the Republic. We must fight to preserve the intellectual capacity and critical thinking of every citizen and resident of this nation. |
| Dorothy Hines | The only way people learn is if someone speaks the truth whether it’s through reading, listening, or observing. |
| Elisa Lotti | I teach the truth to my students. |
| Hailey Pietz | My students deserve to understand and reflect on the historical context and contemporary realities of the topics we cover. |
| Heidi Schmittel | it is my job to teach my students what has actually happened in the past; not some version of the truth that glosses over reality just to try and make white people feel better about where we came from. So many of the painful events of the past are directly impacting the present and until we acknowledge and attempt to come to grips with the truth, true racial equality will never happen and people will continue to suffer. We must teach the truth if we are ever going to heal our nation. |
| Jesus Gonzalez Moctezuma | Our communities deserved to know their history in order to heal and reimagine a better world for our posterity. |
| Jethroe Moore | No comment |
| Jin Yun | I believe that all of our students deserve to learn the truth. |
| John Benoit | No comment |
| Karin Wilhelm-Safian | Not being able to teach the hard parts of history has led to a lot of the problems we have today. |
| Katherine Grunewald | No comment |
| Kim McCarthy | we can't understand the present unless we fully understand our past. |
| Kimberly Torregano | The truth, like math, reading, and science must be taught. Respect the students of the United States. They may grow up to respect you. |
| Leanne Haghighi | All students deserve to be taught the truth, for we are doomed to repeat history when we are ignorant to our past. |
| Leslie Roberts | I believe in the truth and that children deserve the truth. I believe we can do better. I believe that from a foundation of truth we can develop empathy and work toward a world of inclusion and equity. We can no longer say, “We’ve always done it this way” which is based on fear and ignorance. |
| Lillian Luu | No comment |
| Maria Gomez | Teaching the real history of the United States is liberating for students who face systemic and institutional racism in every facet of their lives. Teaching the truth about American history empowers our students and helps them understand how to affect systemic and institutional change and to fight to ensure America lives up to its ideals. |
| Marilyn Davis | No comment |
| Michael Wood | No comment |
| Nina Hyatt | It is hideous that educators are being threatened if they tell the truth. |
| Rebecca Piscitelli | No comment |
| Rita Duarte Herrera | I know the power and joy of respecting students’ minds. RLDH ?✊?? |
| Roger Rosenberg | Honesty in the study of history is essential. |
| Suzanne Stone | Children are the hope and inspiration for the future. I am more than their teacher, I am a mentor with integrity. |
| Taunya Jaco | Educators are truth tellers. |
| Thanh-Lam Nguyen | Students deserve to learn the truth and nothing but the truth. |
| Trevor Hart | No comment |
| Willow Barnosky | As a white American, I am deeply saddened to only now as an adult learn all of the ways in which history has been hidden from me, including the history of discrimination and racism in this country, and the countless ways in which whiteness has been treated as the standard, white experience as the only experience that counts, and white Americans as the only Americans that matter. |
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