The pledge was signed by no teachers on Nov. 15, the day before. It now has 26 pledges from Mesa 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 Mesa teachers included, "No American student should be kept from knowing the truth about this country and its foundation and development, regardless of whether the truth is ugly or not. By knowing what has occurred in the past to our fellow citizens, today's and tomorrow's students will learn how to avoid repeating the same mistakes" and "As a multicultural literature teacher, I have carefully and conscientiously chosen my curriculum to focus on Native American, African American, and Hispanic American history, leaders, stories, and literature. I also teach about the Holocaust and its many parallels with the United States. Our history is at times messy, ugly, and shameful, but it must still be taught so that future generations can learn from this past and do better and be better".
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 |
|---|---|
| Andrea Box | As a multicultural literature teacher, I have carefully and conscientiously chosen my curriculum to focus on Native American, African American, and Hispanic American history, leaders, stories, and literature. I also teach about the Holocaust and its many parallels with the United States. Our history is at times messy, ugly, and shameful, but it must still be taught so that future generations can learn from this past and do better and be better. |
| Anica Erickson | No comment |
| Ann Marie Geair | We need to learn from our mistakes not ignore them. |
| Anne Greer | Enough is enough! I will change what I refuse to accept! We are educators!! |
| Anne Greer | We need to be better people, not a bunch of White-washers of history. You can stop us from teaching about racism but obviously that won't change the fact that you are a bunch of racists! |
| Bruce Nelson | Bruce Nelson is an independent curator and documentary filmmaker from Mesa, Arizona. His work as a curator and documentarian focuses heavily on his experience of living in the once segregated Washington Escobedo neighborhood. His method of curation uses community input as its foundation to thereby reflect and celebrate community members of this often overlooked neighborhood. Nelson’s film practice has developed to be in conversation with compatible exhibitions without either relying on one another for context. |
| Christina Bustos | We are inextricably linked if we are not searching for the liberation of all we cannot have true liberation. We deserve to see, hear and read about our people all of them. How they fought back and changed lives. |
| Christina Jameson | No comment |
| Claudia Bloom | No comment |
| Dave Medley | The lies have to stop if we want to raise children who embrace the truth! |
| Elizabeth Tanner | I care about my students and want to teach them to think. |
| Elizabeth Tanner | I love my students. I refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events. |
| Jacqueline Tambone | This is a ridiculous bill only meant as vengeance towards teachers. |
| Julie Quiroa | No comment |
| Kay Crittenden | Everyone deserves to know the correct history. I grew up learning whitewashed history, and I felt betrayed when I learned the truth. I don't want any of my students feeling that way. |
| Kelly Wright | No comment |
| Kelly Wright | History needs to be taught the way it happened. |
| Kisha Delgado | Children deserve a stinger, truthful, education. |
| Marissa Felix | No comment |
| Michelle Lantz | These bills are racist attempts to censor our true history and strengthen our American system of white supremacy. To truly strengthen our country, we should be legislating that all students are required to learn the truth about our history, rather than suppressing it. |
| Paul Kreutz | We need to be able to teach authentic history, not myth. |
| Quiana Washington | Black Lives Matter and the truth must prevail. |
| Rachael Clawson | I do not indoctrinate my students currently as they analyze multiple perspectives based on primary and secondary sources. But these nationwide efforts are exactly what they claim to be fighting: indoctrination of a particular narrative of history. I'll have no part in it. |
| Robin Dodder | No comment |
| Semore Butts | No comment |
| Steve Munczek | No American student should be kept from knowing the truth about this country and its foundation and development, regardless of whether the truth is ugly or not. By knowing what has occurred in the past to our fellow citizens, today's and tomorrow's students will learn how to avoid repeating the same mistakes. |
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