The pledge was signed by no teachers on Nov. 5, the day before. It now has 11 pledges from Reno 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 Reno teachers included, "The cycle of violence cannot end by denying our true history and the ramifications the cycle of oppression continues to have on our society. Educators cannot empower their students with the tools and knowledge to break these cycles of abuse if they are not empowered themselves to speak the truth" and "I will not lie to my students about American history of racism, sexism, bigotry, anti semitism, anti- LGBTQ, xenophobia, and suppression of communities and entities".
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 |
|---|---|
| Allison Smithson | I will always try to be involved in teaching the truth and try to support my colleagues in this endeavor. |
| Ashley Wade | No comment |
| Emma Dickinson | I feel this cause is really important. The lack of critical thinking and open, scientific education is a real threat to our democracy. |
| Farrell Vaughn | I teach hard history |
| Gaye McCollum-Nickles | In 30 years of teaching, I’ve never lied to my students. I have taught honest history from the day I first walked into a classroom. I’ve designed curriculum to reflect those values. My courses were based upon scholarly research and often presented what were uncomfortable truths about labor, black listing, vote suppression, Jim Crow, and social justice movements. |
| Gaye McCollum-Nickles | We used Zinn as our major textbook and supplemented with original materials; that was the right decision. |
| John Joyce | No comment |
| Nurit Stites | I will not lie to my students about American history of racism, sexism, bigotry, anti semitism, anti- LGBTQ, xenophobia, and suppression of communities and entities. |
| Rachel Fisher | The cycle of violence cannot end by denying our true history and the ramifications the cycle of oppression continues to have on our society. Educators cannot empower their students with the tools and knowledge to break these cycles of abuse if they are not empowered themselves to speak the truth. |
| Rachel McKinney | No comment |
| Stephen Lafer | We need to develop a robust defense fund for teachers who resist the strictures being imposed. Massive resistance is what is needed and by it, a campaign to inform the public as to why it is in its best interests for teachers to so resist. |
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