West Pennyroyal News

There were no new teachers in Falls Church who signed the pledge in week ending Aug. 28, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has six pledges from Falls Church 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.

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
Sarah Thomas	I refuse to lie to my kids. They deserve to know the truth, and I know they can handle it. The discussions I’ve had with them over segregation, racism, discrimination and other tough topics have always been so thoughtful and inspiring. I know these lessons will help the future generation be better then we are today.
Melissa Hauke	How can we change the future if we don't understand the policies, beliefs and ideas that brought us to the present?
Michele Murphy	The truth of our history is complex and needs to be voiced, examined and discussed so that we can evolve into a more just and democratic nation.
Nisha Sensharma	An educated and engaged citizenry is critical to a democracy. Free and public discourse about issues that affect our lives is impossible without ACCURATE information about the diverse experiences and actions of ALL the people in our country's past and present.
Steven McCullough	Attempts to mute student thought, stifle the voices of teachers or cut off critical discussion in the classroom is what is truly un-American, moreover, it prevents our young people from talking about the difficult chapters in our nation’s history and impacts their ability to heal from intergenerational trauma. We must build an informed, empowered, and engaged generation of students who understand their history and are equipped to talk about the challenges of racism in order to build stronger communities.
Amaya Lambert	“no comment”