Concord Ledger

One resident of Dunbarton, New Hampshire, has pledged to support the teaching of critical race theory, according to an online pledge called the "Pledge to Teach the Truth" from the Zinn Education Project.

Lindsay Mears, the only Dunbarton resident who signed the pledge, wrote “Teaching without truth is not teaching" as her comment on the Zinn Education Project's website.

Since its inception in the 1970s, the topic of critical race theory within a school’s curriculum has remained controversial, and the current landscape of politics has put a spotlight on the issue.

Several states have enacted laws that disallow the teaching of the idea that American society is inherently racist. These states include: Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

"The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies," explains Education Week.

According to the Zinn Education Project, the systemic legacy of this country’s history and society cannot be explained without considering the variable of racial inequality. 

“From police violence to the prison system to the wealth gap to maternal mortality rates to housing to education and beyond, the major institutions and systems of our country are deeply infected with anti-blackness and its intersection with other forms of oppression,” the Zinn Education Project said.