Chicago City Wire

There were no new teachers in Chicago who signed the pledge in week ending April 9, according to an online pledge from the Zinn Education Project.

No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 240 pledges from Chicago teachers by the end of the week ending April 9.

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. 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
Mel Ferrand	Teaching the truth helps America heal and learn from its past, allowing our country to move toward the place of justice we seek to be for all who live here.
Luisa Karimighovanloo	it matters to teach the true history of this land.
Vicki Kurzydlo	Teaching the truth is the only way to achieve social justice and equality.
Melissa Hausser	“no comment”
Brian Lynch	we don't have the right to forget history because it makes us feel bad
Kasey Johnson	“no comment”
Kari Lehman	“no comment”
Laura Fairbank	My students, of many diverse backgrounds, deserve to be seen and heard in the classroom. As their educator, I must do what I can to minimize harm to them, and for generations to come.
Christopher Kruger	Education should be ennobling to the human spirit, not founded in fear and hate.
Barbara Randolph	I entered the field of education to open the world to the ever expanding minds of children. Teachers have the right and the responsibility to be honest with their students of all ages. Living with an open mind is the goal.
Marjorie Woodruff	“no comment”
Charles Danoff	We need to be able to teach the horrible things our country has done in the past if we want any hope of somewhat understanding it in the present or improving it in the future.
Mary Difino	“no comment”
Stu Abram	We must value justice over comfort and model for our students how to interrupt systems of privilege and oppression rather than being complicit in their replication.
Lilly Freyer	Our country’s history is complicated and doesn’t deserve to be whitewashed in the name of blind patriotism.
Leslie Madorsky	“no comment”
Jessica Hodges	Students need and deserve to know the truth.
Deanna Tomasetti	I am not interested in promoting white supremacist historical fictions. Critical thinkers challenge and interrogate dominant narratives rather than propagate them.
Amanda Richey	I will not white wash our history
Penny Shultz	truth matters and learning history is the best way to prevent repeating mistakes.
Beau Golwitzer	“no comment”
Megan Lynd Meier	we must cultivate critical thinkers and citizens that fully understand history and how our nation has grown and evolved over time. We must be open and honest with our ourselves and with our students so that we can move forward and work together to create a more a just and equitable society.
Ellie Walsh	“no comment”
Lavera Luster	I agree that the truth should be taught to the students to empower them with the knowledge and tools to work towards ending all injustices.
Patricia Stevens	“no comment”
Tonia Nelson	“no comment”
Crystal Harris	Presenting current information and teaching students to evaluate information critically is an necessary skill for true democracy and citizenship.
Gina Szulkowski	“no comment”
Autumn Laidler	All of our children deserve to know the full truth of history.
Jason Perkins	“no comment”
Anton Miglietta	It’s past time!!!!
Roseanne Dennler	We cannot change what we won't acknowledge.
Michael Rassel	To "TEACH THE TRUTH" is to teachers what "DO NO HARM" is to Medical Professionals.
Erin Lynch	“no comment”
Tina Padio	As a teacher it is my moral and ethical duty to teach the truth.
Rachel Brick	I pledge to empower students to teach and tell their own stories.
Bertina Renee Booker	The truth should be heard at all times
Kelly Fischer	Equity and diversity are the cornerstone of our culture.
Evelyn Gonzalez	“no comment”
Jason Smith	I pledge to teach a range of diverse works inclusive of a variety of perspectives without white-washing contexts.
Grace Itter	Truth
Lasandra Glass-Gibson	I BELIEVE IN THE TRUTH.
Whitney Huber	I have a contribution to make to help repair our nation.
Brian Zane	“no comment”
Adam Geisler	we must always lead students by our actions, and they deserve to learn the history that isn't told in their textbooks.
Mirna Gasca	Our history is complex and teaching it should never be simple or safe. Our kids deserve to learn that which is true and in accordance with facts. As educators, now more than ever, we need to invest time to share the knowledge of the complicated and sometimes very ugly history of our country which will then contribute to the making of the kinds of citizens who will respect and understand each others' experiences, struggles, and extraordinary achievements, especially of our black and brown communities.
Mollie Wray	I refuse to be silent in the face of injustice.
Mary Anne Gulley	Every child has the right to question, acknowledge, and understand historical truth.
Lindsey Williston	“no comment”
Jenine Wehbeh	my students deserve to have their stories uplifted.
Erica Tully	Students and the future of America deserve to know the truth of our past history, so that we can remove any danger of history repeating itself.
Rivanna Jihan	Teaching truth isn't always comfortable or pretty. Teaching lies is a disservice to our students and communities, and does nothing to forward equity and freedom in our world.
Maria Castillo Pierce	My students and their families deserve to know the Truth--only the Truth.
Cyriac J. Mathew	Without accurate knowledge of our past and present , it is impossible to change the future.
Karin Konz	My students deserve the truth
Joshua Zepeda	Children and their experiences needs to be reflected in their curriculum.
Jennifer Kautz	“no comment”
Julia Monette	I pledge to teach my students truth: though topics related to race, class, and gender can be challenging, students are deserving of an education that includes a clear view of BIPOC history and experiences.
Terra Calamari	“no comment”
Rebecca Friedman	We can only dismantle harmful white supremacy and make necessary changes for a kind and just world if we equip our future with a practical and truthful education. Every child deserves the truth!
Hala Karim	“no comment”
Jennifer Shomberg	“no comment”
Lakesha Ladd	I believe in teaching our children about our rich heritage.
Jade-Paula Cabrera	I pledge to create & protect a safe space for my students to grow, challenges one another and themselves, question, investigate, and explore their interests and curiosities & to actively work to dismantle teaching biases harmful to marginalized folks within my school community.
Kerry Marmozewicz	“no comment”
Louis Hernandez	“no comment”
Edward Gadient	“no comment”
Amanda Glasbrenner	I am committed to teaching children history as it happened and through the lens of the disenfranchised, not just the victors and oppressors. I am also committed to anti racist education, tolerance, and awareness in my classroom.
Ben Passer	“no comment”
Isela Velazquez	It is a crime to prohibit teachers from teaching the truth about the history of this country that continues to impact us today.
Molly Phelan	I grew up in the South and learned a drastically "cleaned up" version of our history. As a college student and adult, I find myself constantly having to correct and re-learn facts that were readily available to my teachers but weren't taught to us either out of ignorance, shame or outright denial. We have to do better for the next generations of students.
David Zinder	Past is prologue.
Jennifer Coyle	Teaching true history and truth is important
Leiram Rivera Soto	America is a continent, not a country!
Steven Bergmark	“no comment”
Katerina Kiriazopoulos	My students deserve to know how their lives are affected by systems that are actively working against them.
Maks Malec	We have a duty to study and reflect on the past of our country and the world.
David Zepeda	We are lost without our history.
Matthew Francolino	As Ida B. Wells says, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
Nora Flanagan	I’m pledging to teach truth, because we owe our students nothing less.
Andrew Johnson	"The truth is what happened. It ain't what come out of somebody's mouth." --- John Grady Cole in Corman McCarthy's novel, All the Pretty Horses, 1992
Tracy Otwell	I am concerned that laws being passed in some states may make it impossible for teachers to teach the history of our country so that we are not doomed to repeat it.
James Klock	... while my context does not put me at risk for punitive measures for teaching the truth, I stand in solidarity with those who are on the front lines of that fight.
Donna Mitchem	I pledge to teach the littlest learners about the greatness of their race/culture through research, books music and discussions.
Patrycja Baran-Quintana	It is pertinent to teach the truth.
Nathan Tornow	I have a responsibility to teach multiple perspectives of history even if it makes a person or nation look bad. Humans and history are complex and removing any flaws removes the truth.
Dana Sullivan	Americans can not ensure a fruitful democracy for all citizens and residents unless children are taught critical thinking skills and honest content based on evidence.
Laura Koroski	Deliberately forbidding the teaching of issues of race, racism, and racial violence is a moral wrong. To erase the history of resilient people of color and prevent the next generation from learning about ongoing white supremacy is an act of violence, and I will not stand by and watch it happen.
Michelle Okuno	“no comment”
Michael Dawson	“no comment”
Melissa McBride	It is our moral and social obligation to teach the truth!
Rebecca Brakebill	we shouldn’t have to unlearn and unpack so much as adults. These kids deserve better, they deserve truth and authenticity.
Magally Roman	I pledge to challenge the perspective that students are too young to learn challenging topics related to race, class, gender, and other topics currently being banned through oppressive policies.
Kerith Asma	“no comment”
Linda M. Peete	It’s past time to tell the stories and history of people of color in the United States.
Nicholas Limbeck	“no comment”
Rachel Tingley	I pledge to continue to give students access to multiple primary source that challenge dominant narratives and ask the questions: if the victors write the history, whose history are we really learning? Who is telling the story, and why?
Dalia Hoffman	I have a moral obligation to speak the truth and to teach it to my students--all of it, not just the commendable facets of it. I have taken on a solemn responsibility by becoming a teacher, and this begins by looking in the mirror to understand who I am, where I come from, and to embrace the legacy I am vested with--for better and for worse--so that I can own it and begin to repair it in the way that I lead my life. I bring these understandings into the classroom because we cannot heal as individuals and/or as collectives without understanding and speaking our complete truths.
Monica Rojas	“no comment”
Elizabeth Sullivan	I fear what a future of teaching lies and falsehoods has and will lead to.
Celeste Ramovic	“no comment”
Barbara Alexander	I have moral obligation to teach the truth. I cannot in good faith ignore history and events, or misrepresent history and events. It is that simple.
Chuck Stark	Conversations about race should be honest. Banning these kinds of discussions in classrooms are coercive.
Sam Gartzman	“no comment”
Eric Branholm	It is our duty as educators to stand up to the forces attempting to repress learning. It is our duty to teach the truth.
Janet Gray-Mckennis	There can be no healing in this country without a recognition and understanding of the truth.
Andrew Brake	“no comment”
Albert Delgado	The media, governments, corporations, institutions have manipulated history to maintain the status go. Enough!
Leonor Torres	Teaching true history allow us to grow as a people. Other countries can get past their past. We keep repeating it.
Catherine Cunningham-Yee	The weight of history is on our shoulders and truth is not optional, political, or refutable.
Robert Hyatt	I believe in the power of truth and reconciliation.
Maryclare Flores	“no comment”
Dave Stieber	Learning the true history of our country (not a male white washed version) is essential to the positive growth of our country for everyone.
Katherine Frett	a movement against teacher critical race theory is really just protecting and promoting white supremacy. I will teach a full and robust, truthful picture of the history of this country and classifications of identity we have used to control groups of people in order to maintain hierarchy.
James Cavallero	I want students to understand the roots of inequality today and give them the tools to shape a just future.
Michael Shea	“no comment”
Rebecca Coven	“no comment”
Ariam Abraham	My beautiful Black students deserve, at a minimum, to know how their lives are impacted by the realities of the past and present. Erasing our history is erasing ourselves, and our kids deserve too much more.
Gustav Roman	Engaging students in critical discussions of power, oppression, resilience and resistance are vital to understanding the truth and empower students to make this country and world a better place.
Nina Hike	Students should be taught about Black scientists like Charles Drew and Percy L. Julian in their rightful place as contributors to the scientific community understanding and using their techniques not just during BHM.
Aaron Meyer	I believe it is vital we teach our students anti-racist curricula. Our students shape our future. We must teach them all U.S. history and current events in order to build a better world that truly cares and supports each other. #CTUTeachTruth
Elizabeth Robbins	“no comment”
Anna Acosta	I am committed to teach anti-racist curriculum including but limited to teaching about the Black Panther Party, the Chicano movement movement , Rainbow Coalition.
Ronnie Reese	I have Black children, and what they learn about their history and their *selves* is important.
Silvia Gonzalez	“no comment”
Ryan Walzer	“no comment”
Nilufar Rezai	The disease of racism and white supremacy must be eradicated!
Tammie Vinson	It's the right thing to do
James Foster	I refuse to lie to any student. Refusing to acknowledge and deal with the problems in our society only guarantees their continued existence. We must learn from the past to improve our future.
Ayesha Sumbal	our students deserve to know our full history!
Courtney Hanson	“no comment”
Comfort Agboola	“no comment”
Maria Hernandez	It is important for us and our children to understand the roots of our current issues. We must get to the root of our problems by looking at our past, even if it makes us uncomfortable
Toneika Wallace	our children deserve to know the truth.
Madison Lennox	“no comment”
Kenneth Borre	“no comment”
Leonor Torres	When history is taught with all of the facts, we learn from our wrongs and have children who understand and can connect with each other on different levels.
Kari Lehman	I believe that teaching the truth is imperative to eradicating white supremacy and racism, while also creating equity and instituting reparations., and liberation for people of color from the historical and present day systems of oppression.
Maggie Sermont	“no comment”
Dana Kamerling	I believe it is essential for students to be taught the truth about our country's history.
Christopher Rapisarda	I believe in people and their lived experiences.
Tammi Garcia	I believe my children deserve to live a life of truth.
Vahid Avdic	to not teach about systemic injustice throughout history is to not really reach history at all.
Christine Dussault	We will never learn from our past if we don't teach the truth.
Paul Farrand	“no comment”
Ryan Walzer	Lie by omissions is a lie and our children deserve truth.
Jackson Potter	“no comment”
Justin Brill	We must acknowledge our history and learn from it, not run from it. Deliberate systems of oppression, misinformation and exclusion are at the heart of white supremacy. I will not perpetuate this cycle in my teaching.
Julia Campoverde	I believe in telling students the truth.
Valerie Johnson	I believe that social justice is dependent upon every U.S. citizen fully understanding U.S. history, including its cumulative and contemporary, social, political, and economic consequences.
Rebecca Coulter	Students deserve to learn the truth about this country. If we are to change the injustices of today, we need inspiration from the change makers of yesterday.
Jenny Delessio-Parson	students deserve to know the truth.
Kari Lehman	Teaching the truth is important in order to eradicate white supremacy and center BIPOC in history.
Dahlia Quintanilla	Truth
Skye Black	“no comment”
Maria Kontoudakis	“no comment”
Christopher Rapisarda	“no comment”
Jeannie Kim	“no comment”
Justin Brill	“no comment”
Toni Wahlberg	“no comment”
Jungsun Moon	Whether through fiction or non-fiction, I will teach my students to think and engage critically and honestly, and act for justice for all people.
Ron Ashlaw	“no comment”
Natalia Segura	“no comment”
Michelle Brezek	We cannot heal from the past if we do not share the stories.
Nicole Braun	“no comment”
Daniel Cohen	“no comment”
Geoffrey Guiney	“no comment”
Lauren Bianchi	“no comment”
Mark Nelson	Education should be uncensored in order for individuals to form their own opinions based on all the facts. Apparently indoctrination and propaganda is the only way the GOP can elect their pack of nut jobs, fascists, religious fanatics and low wage monopolists into key government and judicial positions.
Jennet Tempone	“no comment”
Elena Ailes	I come from a family of educators. Both parents and my sister are all teachers. My values, and my families values, are predicated on truth, history and access to a good education.
Lennon Murphy	Our students deserve empowered educators who are willing and able to help them uncover the truths about our country's past and present.
Tyler Scaletta	“no comment”
Tiffany R. Payne-Griffin	It is deplorable and completely unacceptable for people to navigate through life without understanding that this country and every privilege that non-Black people benefit from is due to the long reaching effects of slavery.
Christine Thompson	“no comment”
Amy Treadwell	“no comment”
Anne-Bernadette Weiner	“no comment”
John Breen	I refuse to whitewash history
Deborah Riddle	If children don't learn their history, they're destined to repeat it. Also, we learn about Crispus Attics, Ben Franklin, Christopher Columbus etc., why not OUR truth?????
Adam Geisler	we must defend the importance of truth and justice.
Stephanie Collins	“no comment”
Beverly Allebach	“no comment”
Leo Wolf	“no comment”
Sydney Hart	We cannot solve social problems unless we fully understand their genesis and contemporary manifestations. Racism, especially but not only against Black people, is a root cause of many current social problems from police brutality to economic injustice. If we cannot understand the history of racism in the U.S., we cannot eradicate it.
Naomi Ramsay	we cannot lie to our children. We must give them the whole truth so they are able to understand and navigate the society they live in. We need to give them the truth so they are able to change our society for the better. If they actually learn and understand how racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism function in our society they will be better prepared to disrupt these systems in the future. Moreover, they will feel empowered to do so! I will not lie to my students!
Jeannee Turner	To not learn the truths of our history is dangerous. To not know what is happening in the world is choosing blindness. Knowing America’s true history reveals our strengths to build on and our faults to not commit again.
Ashley Kiddle	“no comment”
Audrey Brinkers	My students deserve to feel empowered by learning the truth.
Moira McNellis	“no comment”
Kate Englund-Kenealy	“no comment”
Genesis Vasquez	Students NEED to know the truth.! Students need to know where they come from without anything being sugar coated for them.
Emma Hostetler	“no comment”
Anita Mathias	All students benefit from an honest, multi-perspective, in-depth history of the community they are growing up in. Students of color deserve to learn their history, the experiences of their ancestors, and ways that their resistance and resilience have strengthened us today.
Runa Zaman	“no comment”
Annie Jackson	Black Student’s Lives Matter
Joan Bradbury	I believe it is vitally important that children learn about our country's history and ideals, and come to understand there is much work for "we the people" to do together so our country's reality comes closer to it's ideals. I believe that is most effectively done with students learning "from the inside out", experiencing historic struggles and engaging with issues of a past time and/or specific location.
Derek Ault	my students need to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Sara Stellfox	It’s important to acknowledge and study our historical and current events to support our students in becoming informed citizens.
Tiffany Bartucci	“no comment”
Julius Cajigas	Our students need to learn the truth about the U.S. and the current world climate it is built upon and how racist it really is.
Asma Shakir	“no comment”
Maria Hernandez	As a History teacher, I know the importance of learning the truth. I learned a watered down, and misleading history as a child; I was appalled at the truth about our history. I cannot allow our students to be misled. I want them to understand how and why we are where we are today.
Mars Caulton	Slavery is not "fake news". It is part of what distinguishes this country around the world: What other modern country had widespread, outright enslavement of an entire race, which began with an international kidnapping industry, for 400 years?
Sarah Bugay	“no comment”
Samantha Godden-Chmielowicz	Students deserve to know the truth and formulate their own opinions. History is not pretty, but it needs to be known.
Caitlin Scheib	I believe teaching the truth matched criticality not only benefits my students’ growth, but moreover, this kind of teaching benefits a democratic society.
Frances Bartolutti	“no comment”
Alyson Paige Warren	“no comment”
Mary Kay Marrello	Every American student has the right to learn the history of the United States without deletions, fabrications or attempts to glorify past wrong doings, lies or prejudices & injustices.
Michael Kelly	We have never needed to tell the true history of our country than right now, and though I teach this topic to graduate-level students, I stand in solidarity with PreK-12 educators who are being bullied by these coordinated legislative and policy attacks across the country.
Lisa Rothenberg	I promise I will teach history the way it was.
Richard Grossman	“no comment”
John Yolich	I use all that curriculum that they want to abolish.
Eliza Bryant	Future generations of Americans deserve to know the truth about our country's past. By learning about the past, we can ensure a better future, especially for those whose rights have been historically threatened or suppressed.
Keith Marek	“no comment”
Claire De Leon	“no comment”
Lydia Falconnier	“no comment”
Virginia Boyle	It is very important that teachers teach the truth about history. We must verify facts from a variety of validated sources, and teach our students HOW to do the same. With these tools, our students can verify truth for themselves, and they can draw their own conclusions.
Justin Altay	there's no other choice I would ever make when it comes to my role as an educator.
Kimberly Mitchell	The truth should be told.
Edward D. Juillard	“no comment”
Maura Nugent	“no comment”
Rico Gutstein	“no comment”
Jane Mizzi	“no comment”
Julie Unold	I am committed to teaching and discussing the truth for the equality and knowledge for ALL my students.
Jonah Bondurant	“no comment”
Catherine Cristofani	“no comment”
Pauline Lipman	We need to reckon with the history of this country founded on white supremacy, racial capitalism, and heteropatriarchy if we are ever to develop the consciousness and organization to dismantle these systems and create a future where all can flourish. This is not a dream. It is an urgent necessity and there is no path to the future without confronting the past. Young people are taking up this challenge and they need to be armed with the truth. We cannot be bullied into silence.
Paul D'Addario	“no comment”
David Temkin	“no comment”
Katherine M. Lansky	I believe it is important to teach a full, accurate view of history, inconvenient truth and all. Our history is flawed. It is ugly. And only by honestly investigating & coming face to face with that history can we begin to understand where we are today.
Rebecca Desalvo	Teaching a people’s history and being honest with students about our country’s past is essential to make change.
Julie Devaud	I believe our students are brave enough to learn the truth about American History.
Paul Friedrich	We cannot honestly know who we are as a nation if we do not have an honest understanding of our past, our history. Confronting and wrestling with these difficult truths is the only way we will be able to move forward, evolve, and improve.
James Klock	I believe that our young people can handle the truth.
Kimberly Goldbaum	Telling the truth is the point where we make things better. Why are politicians codifying into state and federal law that our students be told an abridged, truncated, stilted, biased perspective regarding who has power at a given time and who does not? THERE goes a guiding question for you. Does the First Amendment, which politicians are supposed to honor when they write laws, mean nothing? ...the SAME First Amendment, while penned by the Founding Fathers politicians keep bringing up, keeps being tested by groups of oppressed people in order to make this country we live in BETTER for ALL. I'm signing my name openly and proudly, because politicians' names make history BOOKS. But it is the PEOPLE who make history happen.
Josh Radinsky	I believe that history matters, that all students have the right to learn history, and that history teachers have an obligation to teach students a history that reflects the full American experience, rather than a cheerleading myth.
Sara Corona Goldstein	“no comment”
Greg Michie	my 7th and 8th graders are smart, perceptive, and caring young people. They don't want to be fed a whitewashed version of U.S. history. They want to know the fullness of it, so they can come to a deeper understanding of where we've been, and how we can create a more just society and world.
Kayce Bayer	As James Baldwin says, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." I will teach truths, as that is what my students (and the people of this country) deserve.