KC Reporter

Critical Race Theory will be taught by eight more teachers in Kansas City, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 42 pledges from Kansas City teachers by the end of the week ending March 12.

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 new Kansas City teachers included “I believe in teaching the truth. I believe that you can love your country and also reckon with its history; the good and the bad. I believe that students deserve to be able to know about the history and growth of their country. They deserve to imagine an even better future than the one we've always imagined for the next generation. Anything less than that is a disservice to the country.” and “We need to start teaching the whole truth about our country’s history and the systemic inequities that persist.”.

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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.

Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.

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
Kevin Edwards	Making laws to hide past injustices are immoral and wrong. Unlike the politicians in this state, I teach the truth, not try to hide behind it like cowards.
Duke Banks	A teacher should be committed to one essential fact, and that is to teach students to think for themselves. Without anything outside themselves to manipulate any valuable thought.
Cynthia Kraus	The children of this country deserve to know the truth about the country they inhabit. It was not until I turned 18 that I learned about the atrocities of oppression that have occurred in our country over the last 500+ years. Getting the full story in school will allow children to form their own opinions about political and social issues, discover who they truly are, and know that the adults in their life are telling them the truth, even the ugly parts. It will help children see that life is both and. Life is both beautiful and hard. Our country's history is both exciting and horrific. Our children deserve to know the full truth.
Kristen Norgard	Black lives matter!! We need to be teaching the truth and I refuse to lie to my students!
Sarah Knoll	My students deserve to know the truth.
Kimberly Hunter	Love and healing require truth. Also, I follow Jesus, who teaches “truth will set you free.”
Ashly Emerson	I want to be an honest educator. I want to teach the truth to and about my community.
Jennifer Durbin	“no comment”
Andrea Ways Newman	Without the truth, things will never change for the better
Valorie Engholm	“no comment”
Uli Schneider	Truth is liberating and necessary for change to actually happen. Without truth in history we are simply perpetuating a system built on lies.
Rachel Ohlhausen	As a resident of Missouri, and proud public school graduate (Farmington, MO High School, Class of 2011) it was crucial that my teachers had honest conversations with us. The public education system is full of diverse teachers from all sides of the political spectrum. It is important that no freedom of information or speech is limited. This includes being honest about our history and talking through the ways that our past impacts us today. It is impossible to be a part of the current climate and not talk about racism, history, sexism and more. These conversations are healthy and needed. In the future, I want to raise my own children in the public school system. Support our amazing teachers of Missouri. Stop taking away their ability to foster learning and growth - we will all pay for this negatively in the future if we don't act today!
Debra Cullom	I believe in justice for all.
Natalie Koster	Students need to learn the truth about American history.
Alec Hinojosa	My wife, Victoria HINOJOSA, continuously works with schools to improve fundamental learning. She is essential to the growth of our youth and needs to be able to talk about all topics she sees appropriate.
Victoria Garcia	I believe our children have the right to know the truth to use at their own discretion.
Caitlin Clark	We need to reckon with our past to build a better future, and we can’t reckon with it unless we learn the truth.
Susan Garrett	I am an educator in this area and it is critical to teach the truth to our students. Every semesters students express how much they have learned that they were never taught in elementary or high school. They express how important it is to understand the societal issues can have adverse effects on the health of populations, particularly with those who have been historically marginalized. This type of learning and class discussion better prepares students to be great health care professionals.
Tracey Hughes	...I've spent way too many years of my life learning, then repeating, inaccuracies about this nation's history, while simultaneously living under many of the negative effects of those inaccuracies. It's not enough to say that this is a nation that values diversity & equality if we're not willing to *do the work* to help foster that diversity & equality...and that includes learning & teaching the ACTUAL truth and nuances about this nation, not the redacted or revised narratives that keeps everyone misled.
Laci Bostick	“no comment”
John Tramel	I know that we all need to be liberated from a cultural of white supremacy that is physically, mentally, and emotionally dangerous and damaging to Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color and is deteriorating the souls of white people.
Elizabeth Mounteer	Our students deserve the truth.
Amanda Campbell	Failure to teach all of our students an accurate history dooms us to continue the mistakes of the past, rather than to build and grow.
Ashley Swansonhoye	“no comment”
Hannah Duff	“no comment”
Elyse Max	“no comment”
Lyndsey Stailey	“no comment”
Raymond Taddeo	I pledge to teach the truth. A pledge to teach a non-eurocentric viewpoint of history.
Dustin Wiley	There is a NWO coming
Kourtney Vincent-Woodbury	“no comment”
Janet Gordanza	The truth needs to be taught. We need to fight racism with racism. It’s the vaccine all kids should must be required to take. We are the woke supremacy!
Niki Scott	As a teacher, I will continue to teach history based in fact. Racism is a part of American History, as is slavery. To whitewash our history is to fail my students and I will do everything in my power to teach truth.
Lisa Gann	“no comment”
Kalinda Bass Barlow	“no comment”
Mallory Hutchings-Tryon	“no comment”
Chelsea Dahlstrom	America can only heal our future when we face our past.
Angela Lea	all students should learn the truth. History, even hard history, needs to be taught to all.
Adriana Paez	We need to start teaching the whole truth about our country’s history and the systemic inequities that persist.
Diane Bosilevac	“no comment”
Jaime Ursic	I believe in multiple perspectives being shared and taught
Christina Dismang	To change the world, we have to have these difficult discussions and conversations in our classrooms. I will not dilute my curriculum on the whims of some representatives that have never taught in their life. American Exceptionalism has no place in the classroom.
Raymond Taddeo	I believe in teaching the truth. I believe that you can love your country and also reckon with its history; the good and the bad. I believe that students deserve to be able to know about the history and growth of their country. They deserve to imagine an even better future than the one we've always imagined for the next generation. Anything less than that is a disservice to the country.