The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 9, the day before. It now has three pledges from Ypsilanti 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 Ypsilanti teachers included, "History should be independent of current political revisions" and "Withholding information from my students is lying by omission. I will not respect or follow laws designed to restrict educators from focusing on select historical events. High school students deserve the truth".
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 |
|---|---|
| Ellen Copeland | I believe in the teaching of the truth the complete and unblemished truth |
| John Porter | History should be independent of current political revisions. |
| Mark Lowe | Withholding information from my students is lying by omission. I will not respect or follow laws designed to restrict educators from focusing on select historical events. High school students deserve the truth. |
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