No new teachers in Portage sign pledge on Dec. 28 to teach Critical Race Theory

There were no new teachers in Portage who signed the pledge on Dec. 28, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 27, the day before. It now has 11 pledges from Portage 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 Portage teachers included, “I support telling the truth, identifying and understanding problems in our society, and to develop collective solutions to those problems. I believe change to our society is crucial to our existence. I believe we must come together in solidarity to move to a more just and inclusive society” and “Students deserve to be informed of all sides and have an open education!”.

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.”