The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has two pledges from Osseo 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 Osseo teachers included, "The truth matters in a free democratic society. History repeats itself. If we don't have accurate facts about our history, we are destined to repeat the errors of our past" and "Harm happens when we attempt to cover up the truth. It harms not only the people who are and have been directly affected by the events of the past that continue up until today, but it also harms those who may unintentionally be perpetuating harm against others. We cannot do better as educators and as a society unless we know the impacts we have. We need to be honest about our histories and have more information - not less information - to plot a better way forward. We have all seen how devastating the past has been, so we should do better to build a better tomorrow for all of us working together".
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 |
|---|---|
| Bonni Hill | The truth matters in a free democratic society. History repeats itself. If we don't have accurate facts about our history, we are destined to repeat the errors of our past. |
| Brett Frayseth | Harm happens when we attempt to cover up the truth. It harms not only the people who are and have been directly affected by the events of the past that continue up until today, but it also harms those who may unintentionally be perpetuating harm against others. We cannot do better as educators and as a society unless we know the impacts we have. We need to be honest about our histories and have more information - not less information - to plot a better way forward. We have all seen how devastating the past has been, so we should do better to build a better tomorrow for all of us working together. |
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