The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 20, the day before. It now has two pledges from Mukilteo 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 Mukilteo teachers included, "Students need to know the truth and the complete story of the United States. For far too long the story has been written with minimizing, omitting, and deleting stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, while centering inaccuracies of a whitewashed narrative. It is time to reevaluate and present a more thorough and enriched story. The time is now" and "All young people in America deserve to know the truth about the history of their country so that they can understand where it came from and better participate in building its future as informed, thoughtful citizens".
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 |
---|---|
Bridget Walker Phd | All young people in America deserve to know the truth about the history of their country so that they can understand where it came from and better participate in building its future as informed, thoughtful citizens. |
Doug Baer | Students need to know the truth and the complete story of the United States. For far too long the story has been written with minimizing, omitting, and deleting stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, while centering inaccuracies of a whitewashed narrative. It is time to reevaluate and present a more thorough and enriched story. The time is now. |