No new teachers in West Hartford sign pledge on Feb. 26 to teach Critical Race Theory

By Hartford Reporter

Feb 28, 2022

There were no new teachers in West Hartford who signed the pledge on Feb. 26, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 25, the day before. It now has two pledges from West Hartford 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 West Hartford teachers included, "I believe in justice. All Americans must be included in our teaching of history, not a white-centered, polished half-history. History must include mistakes (so we do better) as well as victories, in order to understand where we are in present day and where we will go in the future" and "I grew up with history classes that misled me about my country's history and it gave me a very biased perspective. It gave me no awareness of the atrocities that had been committed by my country and limited empathy for the victims".

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 in West Hartford who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Gregory Shenk	I grew up with history classes that misled me about my country's history and it gave me a very biased perspective. It gave me no awareness of the atrocities that had been committed by my country and limited empathy for the victims.
Sharon Lanza	I believe in justice. All Americans must be included in our teaching of history, not a white-centered, polished half-history. History must include mistakes (so we do better) as well as victories, in order to understand where we are in present day and where we will go in the future.