The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 6, the day before. It now has three pledges from Iowa City 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 Iowa City teachers included, "I refuse to teach lies to students. As an educator, my responsibility lies in helping students become the best humans they can be by helping them to understand themselves and the world they live in. They need the truth to understand both" and "we should learn from the past so that we do not replicate it! Rather than placating adults who are scared of systems and change, we should be teaching our students how to dismantle the systems and look at the world from a different lens".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amanda Mosley | I refuse to teach lies to students. As an educator, my responsibility lies in helping students become the best humans they can be by helping them to understand themselves and the world they live in. They need the truth to understand both. |
| Aubrey Noonan | we should learn from the past so that we do not replicate it! Rather than placating adults who are scared of systems and change, we should be teaching our students how to dismantle the systems and look at the world from a different lens. |
| Sammy Freeman | It is crucial for students of all ages to properly understand the racist roots of our country and how it shaped the way it is today. Ignorance is very harmful especially when we are taught from such a young age that this country is completely equal. Racism is ingrained in the structure of our country and without proper education it will continue to be that way. Kids are never too young to learn about these things, but white fragility convinced those that this will be harmful for children, when people of color have to learn way too early that they have to work harder to be successful, stay safe, etc. It is about time that we give children a solid anti-racism foundation and education |
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