No new teachers in Boise sign pledge on April 21 to teach Critical Race Theory

By Boise City Wire

Apr 23, 2022

There were no new teachers in Boise who signed the pledge on April 21, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

The pledge was signed by no teachers on April 20, the day before. It now has 11 pledges from Boise 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 Boise teachers included, "The truth matters - and it’s the only way forward" and "If it isn’t messy, it isn’t history".

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 Boise who’ve pledged to teach Critical Race Theory

Teachers	Thoughts on Critical Race Theory
Dolly Higgins	The truth matters - and it’s the only way forward.
Edwin Keener	We must know truth as it happened. Truth does not diminish white people.
Jenn Siegel	No comment
Joanne Klein	If it isn’t messy, it isn’t history.
Johnson Johnson	CRT…1. Charges an entire demographic with a collective crime.2. Uses that charge as grounds for framing individuals within the demographic as perpetrators of that crime.3. Seeks to strip condemned individuals of rights, dignity, and equal protection based on that charge.
Julie Gill	I object to Idaho and other states trying to censor teachers. It's unconstitutional.
Kelly Nelsen	My students deserve the truth.
Michael Kreiter	This one is for you, IFF.
Morgan Baker	I will not be bullied into pretending systemic/structural inequity doesn’t exist when teaching my students about our world.
Sarah Duvall	No comment
Susan Whipple	The only way to make the country a better place is to teach the truth. We have to make students critically think and make decisions for themselves once they have the facts.In memory of George Floyd and Richard Greene and all the others who have perished at the hands of lynch mobs.