No new teachers in Watsonville sign pledge on March 13 to teach Critical Race Theory

There were no new teachers in Watsonville who signed the pledge on March 13, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on March 12, the day before. It now has eight pledges from Watsonville 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 Watsonville teachers included, “I refuse to lie to my students” and “Because I believe it is essential that students learn and understand the history and present day reality of racism (heterosexism, sexism, etc) in our country. We can’t clean up a mess that we don’t even see”.

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.”