The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 25, the day before. It now has three pledges from New Rochelle 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 New Rochelle teachers included, "To quote President Lincoln “Tell the people the truth and the country will be okay”" and "to avoid teaching racism in our classrooms is to perpetuate racism in our 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. 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 |
|---|---|
| Anneliese Rosen | to avoid teaching racism in our classrooms is to perpetuate racism in our society. |
| Jonathan Nwaru | To quote President Lincoln “Tell the people the truth and the country will be okay” |
| Judith Kaufman | No comment |
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