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.
The Statesville teacher wrote "I teach art appreciation. It is impossible to teach the background of many works of art, the time period they were created, the cultural and social forces at play, without discussing the historical events around them. Some of the most notable works of American art delve directly into the subject of the Civil War: "Prisoners from the Front" or "The Cotton Pickers" by Winslow Homer, "The Girl I Left Behind Me" by Eastman Johnson takes it's title from an Irish ballad popular with troops from both sides. He also painted fleeing slaves: "A Ride for Liberty–The Fugitive Slaves, March 2, 1862"How, exactly, are we to discuss what artists have explicitly painted, or written about in novels and poems or made music about? Or will those works be banished from view and forbidden in discussion, too?The "memory laws" legislators are currently creating evoke an authoritarian Stalinist Russia. Stalin suppressed information about Ukrainian genocide he engendered by means of an intentional, human-made famine. Russia passed a number of laws making it illegal to speak or write honestly about the current and historical crimes of the Soviet Union, including thousands of Ukrainian deaths.In the US, the basis of a number of these laws hinges on the "discomfort" a person might feel upon hearing historical facts. Discomfort with new and different information is inevitable, unless your goal is to raise a nation of protected, unaware "snowflakes". Above all, a discussion of history and historical context is not intended as a therapy session. It is intended to be a presentation of a set of facts to be examined critically." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
|---|---|
| Karen Parker | I teach art appreciation. It is impossible to teach the background of many works of art, the time period they were created, the cultural and social forces at play, without discussing the historical events around them. Some of the most notable works of American art delve directly into the subject of the Civil War: "Prisoners from the Front" or "The Cotton Pickers" by Winslow Homer, "The Girl I Left Behind Me" by Eastman Johnson takes it's title from an Irish ballad popular with troops from both sides. He also painted fleeing slaves: "A Ride for Liberty–The Fugitive Slaves, March 2, 1862"How, exactly, are we to discuss what artists have explicitly painted, or written about in novels and poems or made music about? Or will those works be banished from view and forbidden in discussion, too?The "memory laws" legislators are currently creating evoke an authoritarian Stalinist Russia. Stalin suppressed information about Ukrainian genocide he engendered by means of an intentional, human-made famine. Russia passed a number of laws making it illegal to speak or write honestly about the current and historical crimes of the Soviet Union, including thousands of Ukrainian deaths.In the US, the basis of a number of these laws hinges on the "discomfort" a person might feel upon hearing historical facts. Discomfort with new and different information is inevitable, unless your goal is to raise a nation of protected, unaware "snowflakes". Above all, a discussion of history and historical context is not intended as a therapy session. It is intended to be a presentation of a set of facts to be examined critically. |
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