The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 6, the day before. It now has two pledges from Knoxville 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 Knoxville teachers included, "We must be better than our history and maintain equality in our lives. Education is a gift of personal growth that will contribute to our role as global citizens. If it becomes narrow minded in its approach we will weaken our national constitutionality" and "We must be better than our history and maintain equality in our lives. Education is a gift of personal growth that will contribute to our role as global citizens. If it becomes narrow minded in its approach we will weaken our national constitutionality".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amberly Kelley-Dotson | No comment |
| Gretchen Neisler | We must be better than our history and maintain equality in our lives. Education is a gift of personal growth that will contribute to our role as global citizens. If it becomes narrow minded in its approach we will weaken our national constitutionality. |
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