The pledge was signed by one teacher on March 9, the day before. It now has two pledges from Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater teachers included, "We've denied our history long enough. Let's form the "more perfect" nation that the ancestors prescribed. That means constantly working to move closer to civil and human rights" and "We will never dismantle systematic racism and be able to move forward. until we teach our communities about the real history of the United states".
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 |
---|---|
Danielle Mooney | We've denied our history long enough. Let's form the "more perfect" nation that the ancestors prescribed. That means constantly working to move closer to civil and human rights. |
Shelley Hartz | We will never dismantle systematic racism and be able to move forward. until we teach our communities about the real history of the United states |