A Colorado schoolboy has been kicked out of class for wearing a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack — despite the governor calling it a “proud symbol of the American Revolution.”
Footage shows Jaiden, 12, and his mother talking to an administrator at The Vanguard School, who claimed the flag had “slavery origins”.
The staffer claims the patch was “disruptive to the classroom environment,” claiming it had “slavery origins.”
He was told that the patch, which read “Don’t Tread on Me,” along with a rattlesnake, violated district policy and that he was not allowed to return to class without removing it.
The apprentice was told by the custodian, “So the reason they don’t want the flag – the reason we don’t want the flag on display – is due to its origins in slavery and the slave trade.
Footage shows Jaiden, 12, and his mother talking to an administrator at The Vanguard School who claimed the flag had “slavery origins”
“The bag can’t go back if it has a patch on it, because we can’t have that with other kids.”
But his mother was quick to defend her son, claiming that the flag originated in the American Revolution as a symbol of the struggle of the Thirteen Colonies against the British Crown and that it did not promote slavery.
In the video, she can be heard saying, “It has nothing to do with slavery, that’s just the Revolutionary War bandaid that was shown when they fought the British.”
As part of the back and forth, she wondered if the school employee mistook it for the Confederate Flag.
The administrator replied, “I’m here to enforce the district’s policies, and you certainly have every right to disagree.”
But his mother was supported by Democrat Jared Polis, Colorado governor, who took up the issue, denying the flag was racist, but claiming it was a “great teaching moment.”
He said, “The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American Revolution and an iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the freedoms of Americans.
It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins to this day, and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies. A great teaching moment for a history lesson!’
The Gadsden Flag was designed in the mid-1770s by South Carolina soldier Christopher Gadsden during the American Revolution
But his mother was quick to defend her son, claiming that the flag originated in the American Revolution as a symbol of the Thirteen Colonies’ struggle against the British Crown and did not promote slavery.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis weighed in on the issue, denying the flag was racist, claiming instead that it was a “great teaching moment”
Emails that Jeff Yocum, the school’s director of operations, sent to the mother were obtained by Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute.
He claimed the flag was banned from the school because of its link to racism, citing graphic design scholar Paul Bruski.
Bruski, who works at Iowa State University, said: “Because of the history of its creator and because it is usually flown next to the ‘Trump 2020′ flags, the Confederate battle flag and other white supremacist flags, some now see the Gadsden flag perhaps as a symbol of bigotry and hatred – or even racism.’
Yokum also shared an article citing a dispute with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after a Postal Service employee wore a hat with the Gadsden flag at work.
The staffer claims the patch was “disruptive to the classroom environment” as she claimed it had “slavery origins”
As part of the back and forth, she wondered if the school employee mistook it for the Confederate Flag
The EEOC declined to comment on the allegation, which was based on racial discrimination, but “did not find that the Gadsden flag is in fact a racist symbol.”
However, it claimed that the flag “has been interpreted in some contexts to convey racially tinged messages.”
The Gadsden Flag was designed in the mid-1770s by South Carolina soldier Christopher Gadsden during the American Revolution.
Colonel Gadsden had seen a yellow flag with a hissing, coiled rattlesnake in the center, and below the snake the words, “Tread not on me.”
He made a copy and submitted the draft to the South Carolina Provincial Congress.
Commodore Esek Hopkins, commander of the New Continental Fleet, carried a similar flag in early 1776 when his ships first put to sea.