The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 28, the day before. It now has four pledges from Bakersfield 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 Bakersfield teachers included, "Truth matters. We only go backward with lies" and "Not teaching the contributions that minorities gave to the United States is criminal for all students. Our brown and black students remain disconnected, because nothing they here postively pertains to them. In defense of our white students they are robbed of learning about minorities contributions which perpetuates the privilege mindset. I worked in a high school district that has about 23 high schools. There are close to 1,600 teachers and I doubt that there are 200 Black teachers. For "any" student in high school tell me that I'm their first Black teacher is criminal. At a later date, I can share so much damage this condition has negatively affected our students".
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 |
|---|---|
| Jeff Newby | The truth matters. |
| Lynnetta Jefferson | Not teaching the contributions that minorities gave to the United States is criminal for all students. Our brown and black students remain disconnected, because nothing they here postively pertains to them. In defense of our white students they are robbed of learning about minorities contributions which perpetuates the privilege mindset. I worked in a high school district that has about 23 high schools. There are close to 1,600 teachers and I doubt that there are 200 Black teachers. For "any" student in high school tell me that I'm their first Black teacher is criminal. At a later date, I can share so much damage this condition has negatively affected our students. |
| Maria Romero | No comment |
| Terri Richmond | Truth matters. We only go backward with lies. |
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