Labor Union Vows To Defend Teachers Over 'Honest History' Lessons

Republican-sponsored state laws banning the teaching of so-called "critical race theory" at issue

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the nation's second-largest teachers' union, is pledging to defend teachers’ legal rights in states such as Texas that have passed laws to prevent them from teaching accurate history to schoolchildren.

At issue are the spare of laws passed in Republican-controlled states banning the teaching of critical race theory — and regulating the teaching of race-related history in general — which many educators believe will have a chilling effect on the teaching of history in classrooms across the country.

“Mark my words: Our union will defend any member who gets in trouble for teaching honest history. We have a legal defense fund ready to go,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said during remarks in a speech this week at a professional development conference. “Teaching the truth is not radical or wrong. Distorting history and threatening educators for teaching the truth is what is truly radical and wrong.”

She rejected “the new culture campaign some lawmakers (and Fox News) are using to distort history, limit learning and stoke fears about our public schools.”

The nation's second-largest teachers' union is pledging to defend teachers in offering “honest history” lessons

Republicans have begun using critical race theory as one more bugaboo in the “culture war” that they are stoking in order to try to win elections.

"Critical race theory is not taught in elementary schools or middle schools or high schools. It’s a method of examination taught in law school and in college that helps analyze whether systemic racism exists and, in particular, whether it has an effect on law and public policy,” Weingarten said. “But culture warriors are labeling any discussion of race, racism or discrimination as CRT to try to make it toxic. They are bullying teachers and trying to stop us from teaching students accurate history."

The ones who these new laws truly will hurt are students across the nation who will have “holes” in their knowledge of US history, Weingarten said in an interview with MSNBC host Nicholle Wallace.

“It’s going to do huge damage to our kids because there’s going to be places where teachers are going to have the stamina, the courage, to actually teach the Civil War or to teach January 6. And there’s going to be a whole bunch of places where they’re not,” Weingarten said. “And then kids are going to have a huge hole in their history and people are going to be afraid to actually really push kids to think. Kids, to be able to survive in this world, to be able to thrive in this world, you need to be able to think.

“You need to be able to hold different things in your heart and in your head at the same time. And if we don’t help kids develop those muscles of being able to think and being able to see diversity as a strength, not a weakness, it is going to hurt kids,” she added. “And frankly, this is what I loved about what I’ve seen this week. Axios just had a poll of college students, including Republican college students, who understand overwhelmingly that it’s important to confront our history and to understand it. We will be stronger if we do that.”