Teachers from Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay have signed a pledge to teach Critical Race Theory in schools. The pledge, started by the Zinn Education Project, had over 7,500 signees in the end of October, which was the last time an update about the petition was posted.
The Washington County Times reported that one teacher from Slinger, Wisconsin had signed the pledge last week, in addition to those in larger Wisconsin cities. However, Daren Sievers, the superintendent for the school district of Slinger, told The Wisconsin Daily Star that the woman who claimed she was a Slinger teacher, in fact, was not.
Sievers said, “Candi Martin is not a teacher for the Slinger School District. She is a local woman whose children used to attend our schools. I am not sure why she listed herself as a member of our teaching staff.” Sievers explained that years ago, Martin had student taught within the Slinger School District, but she “was never hired.”
The Zinn Education Project’s website explains that the petition or pledge is “an act of resistance.” Its website reads, “This is an act of resistance to the GOP bills in at least 27 states that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history.”
The project also campaigns for “climate justice” and abolishing Columbus Day. The Zinn Education Project provides materials and trainings for teachers. Zinn Education Project is seeking to “flip the script” on history. Its website states, “When we look at history from the standpoint of the workers and not just the owners, the soldiers and not just the generals, the invaded and not just the invaders, we can begin to see society more fully, more accurately.”
They also have created teaching resources on topics such as Islamophobia, hip-hop, “the Kapernick Effect,” and the climate crisis. The Zinn Education Project also works to create the Rethinking Schools magazine publication and books, which are “working for equity and justice in public schools and the broader society.”
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
