The pledge was signed by six teachers the week before. It now has 37 pledges from Kansas City teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 new Kansas City teachers included “I am an educator in this area and it is critical to teach the truth to our students. Every semesters students express how much they have learned that they were never taught in elementary or high school. They express how important it is to understand the societal issues can have adverse effects on the health of populations, particularly with those who have been historically marginalized. This type of learning and class discussion better prepares students to be great health care professionals.” and “We need to reckon with our past to build a better future, and we can’t reckon with it unless we learn the truth.”.
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 |
|---|---|
| Kourtney Vincent-Woodbury | “no comment” |
| Janet Gordanza | The truth needs to be taught. We need to fight racism with racism. It’s the vaccine all kids should must be required to take. We are the woke supremacy! |
| Niki Scott | As a teacher, I will continue to teach history based in fact. Racism is a part of American History, as is slavery. To whitewash our history is to fail my students and I will do everything in my power to teach truth. |
| Lisa Gann | “no comment” |
| Mallory Hutchings-Tryon | “no comment” |
| Chelsea Dahlstrom | America can only heal our future when we face our past. |
| Angela Lea | all students should learn the truth. History, even hard history, needs to be taught to all. |
| Adriana Paez | We need to start teaching the whole truth about our country’s history and the systemic inequities that persist. |
| Diane Bosilevac | “no comment” |
| Jaime Ursic | I believe in multiple perspectives being shared and taught |
| Christina Dismang | To change the world, we have to have these difficult discussions and conversations in our classrooms. I will not dilute my curriculum on the whims of some representatives that have never taught in their life. American Exceptionalism has no place in the classroom. |
| Dustin Wiley | There is a NWO coming |
| Raymond Taddeo | I pledge to teach the truth. A pledge to teach a non-eurocentric viewpoint of history. |
| Lyndsey Stailey | “no comment” |
| Raymond Taddeo | I believe in teaching the truth. I believe that you can love your country and also reckon with its history; the good and the bad. I believe that students deserve to be able to know about the history and growth of their country. They deserve to imagine an even better future than the one we've always imagined for the next generation. Anything less than that is a disservice to the country. |
| Elyse Max | “no comment” |
| Ashley Swansonhoye | “no comment” |
| Hannah Duff | “no comment” |
| John Tramel | I know that we all need to be liberated from a cultural of white supremacy that is physically, mentally, and emotionally dangerous and damaging to Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color and is deteriorating the souls of white people. |
| Elizabeth Mounteer | Our students deserve the truth. |
| Amanda Campbell | Failure to teach all of our students an accurate history dooms us to continue the mistakes of the past, rather than to build and grow. |
| Tracey Hughes | ...I've spent way too many years of my life learning, then repeating, inaccuracies about this nation's history, while simultaneously living under many of the negative effects of those inaccuracies. It's not enough to say that this is a nation that values diversity & equality if we're not willing to *do the work* to help foster that diversity & equality...and that includes learning & teaching the ACTUAL truth and nuances about this nation, not the redacted or revised narratives that keeps everyone misled. |
| Laci Bostick | “no comment” |
| Caitlin Clark | We need to reckon with our past to build a better future, and we can’t reckon with it unless we learn the truth. |
| Susan Garrett | I am an educator in this area and it is critical to teach the truth to our students. Every semesters students express how much they have learned that they were never taught in elementary or high school. They express how important it is to understand the societal issues can have adverse effects on the health of populations, particularly with those who have been historically marginalized. This type of learning and class discussion better prepares students to be great health care professionals. |
| Debra Cullom | I believe in justice for all. |
| Natalie Koster | Students need to learn the truth about American history. |
| Victoria Garcia | I believe our children have the right to know the truth to use at their own discretion. |
| Uli Schneider | Truth is liberating and necessary for change to actually happen. Without truth in history we are simply perpetuating a system built on lies. |
| Rachel Ohlhausen | As a resident of Missouri, and proud public school graduate (Farmington, MO High School, Class of 2011) it was crucial that my teachers had honest conversations with us. The public education system is full of diverse teachers from all sides of the political spectrum. It is important that no freedom of information or speech is limited. This includes being honest about our history and talking through the ways that our past impacts us today. It is impossible to be a part of the current climate and not talk about racism, history, sexism and more. These conversations are healthy and needed. In the future, I want to raise my own children in the public school system. Support our amazing teachers of Missouri. Stop taking away their ability to foster learning and growth - we will all pay for this negatively in the future if we don't act today! |
| Kristen Norgard | Black lives matter!! We need to be teaching the truth and I refuse to lie to my students! |
| Sarah Knoll | My students deserve to know the truth. |
| Kimberly Hunter | Love and healing require truth. Also, I follow Jesus, who teaches “truth will set you free.” |
| Ashly Emerson | I want to be an honest educator. I want to teach the truth to and about my community. |
| Jennifer Durbin | “no comment” |
| Andrea Ways Newman | Without the truth, things will never change for the better |
| Valorie Engholm | “no comment” |
Alerts Sign-up