The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 25, the day before. It now has four pledges from Poughkeepsie 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 Poughkeepsie teachers included, "Democracy and the future of this nation depend on classrooms that reckon with the past. If we are truly to live up to the dreams of our founding , then we must grapple with how we got to the place we are" and "History doesn't change, but our understanding of it does. We can not have a full understanding of ourselves as a country today without the full picture of our past. Omitting parts of our country's past because they are too terrible to face or because they are inconvenient to how we want to see ourselves is unacceptable. I have the courage to teach Hard History".
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 |
|---|---|
| Emily Woolever | History doesn't change, but our understanding of it does. We can not have a full understanding of ourselves as a country today without the full picture of our past. Omitting parts of our country's past because they are too terrible to face or because they are inconvenient to how we want to see ourselves is unacceptable. I have the courage to teach Hard History. |
| Laura Forman | I am a former student teacher and an activist. I am disappointed that the education that I received over 60 years ago was not the complete truth. |
| Sarah Hoop | Democracy and the future of this nation depend on classrooms that reckon with the past. If we are truly to live up to the dreams of our founding , then we must grapple with how we got to the place we are. |
| Sarah Hoop | We cannot move forward as a country until we recognize our past. We cannot have an actual WORKING democracy until all people are seen, heard, understood . Our past informs our present. We must make the wrongs of the past a launching point for a true American future, or else we are just cycling away in colonialism....and lies. |
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