No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 14 pledges from Nashville teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 Nashville teachers included “Learning about what our country has done wrong is important so we can teach our students how to positively change so we can do what is right now and in the future.” and “All students need to know the accurate history about where we have come from, so we can forge a more equitable path to where we are going.”.
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 |
|---|---|
| James Horn | The history of the United States should not be sanitized to spare the feelings of white supremacists who would prefer to deny the incontrovertible events of the past which continue to shape the present. The fact is that another generation of legislators have chosen to use their institutional prerogative to pass more censorious laws aimed to subvert the truth demonstrates us that critical race theory is not a theory at all but, rather, an undeniable fact derived by living in a nation whose vast wealth was built on the backs of slaves. |
| Melanie Edwards | I will teach the truth, always. As a nation we will never heal, until we all join together to understand. Our students are our future. |
| Phyllis D.K. Hildreth Jd | Freedom and justice for all require truth, restoration, reparation, then reconciliation. Teaching complete, if contested, histories of social systems and civic governance is an indispensable predicate to shared and lasting peace in Beloved Community.—pdkh 12 June 2021 #TeachTruth |
| Kelly Hill | I want to give students the education that I did not receive in school and free them from having to unlearn/relearn history as an adult as I am now having to do. |
| Lindsey Hamilton | We deserve to speak and tell the truth |
| Megan Troutman | “no comment” |
| Angelica Dunsavage | Critical theory pedagogy is critical for a reason. |
| Kimberly L. | There is no value in erasing historical fact. To become better citizens of the world, it is imperative to learn the reality of our past and to strive for a more just present. |
| Rhonda Stewart | I believe educators should be allowed to learn and teach about American history in the TRUE context.... Critical Race Theory is not to be FEARED. |
| Megan Broad | We can't gaslight our children about this country. |
| Jon Robertson | The brutal and inhumane experiences of Black Americans has been manipulated, misinterpreted, and ignored for too long. The efforts to avoid facing this truth, the exploitation of black people was/is core to this country's wealth and standing today, needs to be dismantled. |
| Victoria Morrow | Our students deserve to learn the true, accurate, and inclusive history of and truth about this country. |
| Jessica Sackett | Learning about what our country has done wrong is important so we can teach our students how to positively change so we can do what is right now and in the future. |
| Eli Foster | All students need to know the accurate history about where we have come from, so we can forge a more equitable path to where we are going. |
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