Red, White and Banned

Betsy Ross must be spinning —- or sewing —- in her grave.

When in late May 1776, the struggling upholsterer was approached by a secret committee of the Continental Congress to stitch a new flag for our fledgling republic, she took on the task proudly. The 13 stars in a circular pattern would represent a “constellation of unity” for the colonies. But today, Old Glory is seen by thousands, if not millions of Americans, activists, and newly arrived immigrants, as a sign of repression, racism, and cultural conquest.

Corona Del Sol high school in Tempe, Arizona, prompted outrage recently by banning the wearing of patriotic colors — and the flying of the U.S. flag — at a football game with longtime rivals Marcos de Niza.

The students of Corona Del Sol wanted the theme of the game to be “USA,” but that was considered inappropriate by the school’s administration because of the large Hispanic student population at the rival high school. Students were warned that they would be denied entry into the game should they dress “inappropriately” — defined in a tweet by the student newspaper as “anything perceived to be offensive/racist… USA, flags, Trump, etc.”

When the inevitable backlash against the heavy-handed display of political correctness occurred, the tweet was deleted. A spokesperson for the Tempe Union High School District claimed the student newspaper’s statement was the result of a “misunderstanding,” and that there was in fact no ban — though the students had indeed been told to be mindful of how USA-themed dress might be interpreted by rival students.

A growing trend in which schools across America put the feelings of immigrant and non-immigrant Hispanic children before other students’ patriotism

Unfortunately, this is yet another incident in a growing trend in which schools across America put the feelings of immigrant and non-immigrant Hispanic children before other students’ patriotism and right to freedom of expression — a trend that is just one of the many symptoms of the anti-American multiculturalism that is the order of the day.

On May 5, 2010, five students at Live Oak High School in California were prevented from wearing USA-themed clothing because it was Cinco de Mayo and school officials thought their clothing might offend the Hispanic students — many of whom were clad in Mexico-themed apparel — on what one official said tellingly was “their day.”

In South Carolina in 2014, students at Woodruff High School were forced to take down American flags from their trucks — on the anniversary of 9/11 no less. And this year, at York Comprehensive High School, also in South Carolina, a student was forced to remove an American flag from his truck after a school administrator reportedly told the student that others had complained.

This trend is only more pronounced at the college level, with harmless happenings like taco-themed charity events, Mexican food nights in the cafeteria, and drinking tequila on Cinco de Mayo being deemed offensive at campuses across the country — when white kids do it.

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And while school officials bend over backwards to ensure Hispanic students don’t accidentally catch a glimpse of the Stars and Stripes and burst into flames, Hispanics in America have no such reservations about displaying patriotic pride in their countries of origin.

Mexican flags and others from Hispanic nations are a regular sight at pro-immigration rallies and protests, and anyone who has ever been in New York during the Dominican Day Parade or attended a USA-Mexico soccer match would surely be forgiven for forgetting which country he was in.

“I’ve yet to experience anything on that level when it comes to celebrating my culture. Anything else pales in comparison with going to see that national team play,” said ESPN journalist César Hernández in reference to USA-Mexico soccer games. “It’s not just soccer. If you go to any of these Mexican games in the U.S., it’s almost like a political venue sometimes. You’ll see people holding up signs about Donald Trump and about stuff that’s going on in Mexico.”

President Obama once said that illegal immigrant children are “Americans just like our kids, except they don’t have the right documents.” Well, American kids don’t feel intimidated when they see an American flag. American kids don’t go to sporting events and root for America to lose.

In short, American kids actually think of themselves as American. But as long as schools continue to tread on eggshells to avoid causing offense and assimilation is seen as a dirty word, Hispanic kids will never see themselves as American.