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.
The Portland teacher wrote "The laws at all levels of government have and continue to oppress people of color and immigrants in this country. To teach climate justice or environmental justice without the context of our history leaves students confused. They are unable to understand why BIPOC communities are harmed more than white communities by climate change and environmental problems. For example there are not laws in our community today that force people of color to live in the most dangerous parts of our city but the maps clearly show that they live in the most dangerous parts of our city. If I could not teach my students about the dismantling of our black community hubs by policy and law, or if I could not teach my students about the violation of Native American treaty right,s or if I could not teach my students about the inherent discrimination in the New Deal leading to racist redlining, or the Homesteading Act, or the policies of Japanese Internment, my students would have an entirely false view of how we got to where we are today" when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Margaret Griffith | The laws at all levels of government have and continue to oppress people of color and immigrants in this country. To teach climate justice or environmental justice without the context of our history leaves students confused. They are unable to understand why BIPOC communities are harmed more than white communities by climate change and environmental problems. For example there are not laws in our community today that force people of color to live in the most dangerous parts of our city but the maps clearly show that they live in the most dangerous parts of our city. If I could not teach my students about the dismantling of our black community hubs by policy and law, or if I could not teach my students about the violation of Native American treaty right,s or if I could not teach my students about the inherent discrimination in the New Deal leading to racist redlining, or the Homesteading Act, or the policies of Japanese Internment, my students would have an entirely false view of how we got to where we are today. |
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