A petition by teachers nationwide pledging to teach Critical Race Theory (CRT) to students regardless of whether states pass laws against the practice has reached more than 8,000 signatures.
“From police violence, to the prison system, to the wealth gap, to maternal mortality rates, to housing, to education and beyond, the major institutions and systems of our country are deeply infected with anti-Blackness and its intersection with other forms of oppression,” the Zinn Education Project’s petition page says. “To not acknowledge this and help students understand the roots of U.S. racism is to deceive them — not educate them.”
The group claims that not teaching CRT is akin to lying to students.
The Tennessee Star first reported on the petition last July. At that point, 21 teachers from Tennessee had signed the petition.
In May of last year, Tennessee’s General Assembly banned the teaching of CRT in schools, specifically the following:
(1) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;
(2) An individual, by virtue or the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously;
(3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual’s race or sex;
(4) An individual’s moral character is determined by the individual’s race or sex;
(5) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;
(6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual’s race or sex;
(7) A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex;
(8) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist;
(9) Promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government;
(10) Promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people;
(11) Ascribing character traits, values, moral or ethical codes, privileges, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of the individual’s race or sex;
(12) The rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups;
(13) All Americans are not created equal and are not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; or
(14) Governments should deny to any person with the government’s jurisdiction the equal protection of the law[.]
More of Tennessee’s teachers have signed the pledge since then.
“I refuse to lie to my students or downplay the events of history in order to make any group feel better about its actions or beliefs,” Princess Gordon-Aziz, a teacher at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools said. “I believe today’s youth are able to make their own decisions about history based on the facts, and I am committed to giving them the facts so they can make informed choices.”
“All students need to know the accurate history about where we have come from, so we can forge a more equitable path to where we are going,” said Eli Foster, a teacher at Bellevue Middle School in Nashville.
Many teachers from Georgia, where there is a battle in the state legislature to ban CRT, have signed the petition.
“The Georgia legislature is trying to silence history teachers and destroy history education,” said Kristina Graves, a teacher in Decatur. “I refuse to be silenced and will continue to teach real history, not propaganda created by lawmakers. Our students deserve the truth!”
“I was taught by my dad to always speak truth to power. I owe it to my ancestors … ,” Janine Jeff Baah of Atlanta said.
Despite there being no ban on CRT in Minnesota, and no potential ban pending in that state’s legislature, it is a hotbed for signatories.
“My students deserve to hear the truth about history because their ancestors lived it and this is how we repair and progress as a country and community,” says Francis Gibson, a teacher in Minneapolis.
“I have a moral responsibility to teach the truth. The United States has a lot of blood on her hands, and we all need to own up to our historical truths,” according to Chaska teacher Janet Aquino-Dantona. “Only then can we be called a great nation. Freedom, equality, equity, is for ALL Americans, and not just the privileged.”
Notably, many left-wing “fact-checkers” dispute that CRT is being taught in America’s K-12 schools.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
