No new teachers in South Portland sign pledge on April 21 to teach Critical Race Theory

There were no new teachers in South Portland who signed the pledge on April 21, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on April 20, the day before. It now has four pledges from South Portland 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 South Portland teachers included, “I have been a product of being taught falsehoods through my public education and it is time for the truth to be shared” and “I feel that in order to teach history accurately, we need to talk about all of it, not just a white-washed view. The only way to avoid making the same mistakes that were made in history, such as the Japanese American Internment during WWII, we need to teach kids about it”.

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.”