No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has six pledges from Lafayette teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 07.
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 Lafayette teachers included “THE TRUTH ABOUT HISTORY SHOULD NOT BE WITHHELD!” and “We have lied to the children of America for too long, burying and distorting historical facts. We can never reckon with our past without facing 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 |
|---|---|
| Monika Weiss | All of my students matter and they need to know actual history, not the white washed eurocentric history people want |
| Leigh Tolley | We need to know about and try to understand all of history in order to learn how to be better people. |
| Shay Smith | History cannot be changed. Only learned from. |
| Megan Breaux | “no comment” |
| Martha Garner | We have lied to the children of America for too long, burying and distorting historical facts. We can never reckon with our past without facing the truth. |
| Toby Daspit | THE TRUTH ABOUT HISTORY SHOULD NOT BE WITHHELD! |
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