Tempest Over a Student’s T-Shirt
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John Annese, Staten Island Advance, May 18, 2008
Last fall, 12-year-old Shaun Hines started wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt to classes at the diverse Markham Intermediate School in Graniteville.
{snip}
In fact, as Hines and his mother tell it, school administrators didn’t even seem to notice the shirt.
But Hines’s classmates did.
Some of them started calling out “KKK” whenever he passed, and at the end of March, he found the letters written in three separate sets of handwriting on one of his folders when he wasn’t looking.
Hines says he wears the shirt because he’s a Civil War history buff, not because he’s trying to send a message of racism or rebellion to his classmates.
“I just wear it because it’s my favorite era in the war, and I always go to Gettysburg, and I love it,” the Grant City seventh-grader says. “I just think it’s a flag. I know what it stands for, but it’s just a flag that the Southerners use … . The South and what they did is wrong, but you can’t take it out on a kid because they wear it.”
The “KKK” nickname stuck, much to Hines and his parents’ chagrin—students now yell out the letters behind his back as he passes by, sometimes as often as three times a day.
{snip}
The constant remarks from classmates have taken their toll and severely affected his grades, Hines and his mother say.
Mrs. Hines says she’s asked school officials to find out who’s making the remarks, but so far, nothing has been done.
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Hines says the people who call him KKK know nothing about him—he’s Jewish, he explains, and the hate group is anti-Semitic as well.
{snip}
About a quarter of Markham’s population is African-American, according to the school’s 2006 demographic data. White children make up a little less than a third of the student body, while Hispanic or Latino students make up slightly more than a third.
Although he can’t identify the individual students who call him “KKK,” Hines says the comment most often comes from groups of his black classmates.
{snip}
Ed Josey, who heads the local chapter of the NAACP, says that even if Hines has no bad motives when he dons the T-shirt, he should pay serious heed to what the flag symbolizes for so many people.
“The Confederate flag represents a very sad part of American history,” Josey said. “Consider the effects on other people. It might not be against the law, but consider the effect. . . . If the boy is being harassed because of the symbol of the T-shirt, maybe the wise thing may be, don’t wear the thing to school.”
{snip}
Despite his Jewish background, Hines says he wouldn’t be offended if a student came in wearing a swastika on a T-shirt.
“It wouldn’t bother me. It’s a T-shirt. It doesn’t matter,” Hines says. “It depends on who the child is. If he is like that, you stay away from him.”
{snip}
Email John Annese at annese@siadvance.com.
(Posted on May 20, 2008)
Comments
“The Confederate flag represents a very sad part of American history,” Josey said.”
How very true. It represents the first time states’ rights were infringed upon in contradiction to the tenets of the US constitution, and the country has been in free fall ever since that time.
Degeneration has been very rapid and is ongoing right now. Very sad.
Posted by ice at 5:09 PM on May 20
If blacks insist on besmirching our great nation’s past it will ultimatly ensure that they will have no place in our great nation’s future…
Posted by at 6:24 PM on May 20
“The South and what they did is wrong…”???
This is the mentality (self-flagellation) that renders the Confederate flag so vulnerable to the criticism of its detractors.
You see, the flag represents the kind of controversial freedom of expression that might offend a certain pampered minority (represented by the NAACP); therefore it must not be protected by the 1st Amendment.
“Consider the effects on other people.”
Yes, and consider the implications of this now-acceptable form of repression.
Posted by KonfederateKarl at 6:30 PM on May 20
Funny how blacks are not called racist for doing this - which would clearly be considered an act of ‘racial intimidation’ if the shoe were on the other foot.
Posted by at 6:42 PM on May 20
Reverse the races, and make the T-shirt something along the lines of “black power,” and there would be no blaming the victim. In fact, you would have already heard about it, and Morris Dees would already be raising money based on the incident.
Posted by Question Diversity at 6:55 PM on May 20
Shaun Hines seems like a very sensible young man. Too bad some of his classmates can’t seem to “get over it” and move on with their lives.
I especially liked the fact that young Hines is not a hypocrite about the issue. He says that if another student came to school wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it, that wouldn’t bother him even though he’s Jewish — that he would just avoid that student.
If by any chance Shaun Hines happens to read this, here’s some advice for him: Don’t back down on your right to wear that T-shirt; but if you have friends you hang with who agree with you that you should be allowed to wear it at school, try to utilize their help in identifying some of these young thugs who are trying to intimidate you.
Posted by Wayne Engle at 7:31 PM on May 20
what gets me is, they can wave that stupid mexican flag all over this nation but they can’t stand to look at a confederate flag???? OMG such madness, will it never end????
Posted by lydia at 7:51 PM on May 20
“Despite his Jewish background, Hines says he wouldn’t be offended if a student came in wearing a swastika on a T-shirt.
‘It wouldn’t bother me. It’s a T-shirt. It doesn’t matter,’ Hines says. “It depends on who the child is. If he is like that, you stay away from him.’”
Sadly, while I sympathize with this boy’s plight regarding the Confederate flag T-shirt, he has made a serious blunder in that he has foolishly equated its level of “offensiveness” to that of the swastika. This would be particularly true, if it was the Nazi black swastika in a white circle with a red background, that he is referring to.
The cause of the Confederacy, was never about conquest and genocide (irregardless of how blacks stupidly view it) but independence from a larger political entity, that was seen as becoming oppressive. Thus, no person defending the Confederate flag and the cause it stood for, should ever equate it with the Nazi swastika for any reason.
It only yields (no matter how hysterically illogical) “moral high ground” to critics of its important historical significance.
Again, I cut the boy slack because he is only 12, but his parents (if they gave him the idea and understand his love for Confederate/Civil War history) are to be seen as foolish at best!
Posted by John PM at 8:49 PM on May 20
Let’s see: the hate-group that has been harassing this kid is anti-white and anti-Semitic, and this is in New York. This narrows it down to black Muslims.
The US War Between The States was about who would profit from the conquest of the US west - the northern industrialist robber barons or the southern planter robber barons. It was a complete tragedy, as the bad guys were going to win the war, no matter who won on the battlefield.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 9:50 PM on May 20
As a teacher in a school where black students wear “stop snitching” and “Malcom X” tee shirts on “diversity day” (what a crock!), please don’t tell me how stars and bars are so offensive.
Posted by Donna KP at 10:43 PM on May 20
Anyone who thinks these flags had anything to do with blacks or the jewish people is very telling of their knowledge about the true history of the flags and war.I think abe made it more than plain on this subject. The young man is right,its just a flag with i might add years of history/propaganda teachings in all public schools that cause these reactions.I really feel for him and admire his bravery,but as a parent i would be very concerned with his safety.
Posted by Billy at 12:38 AM on May 21
I am from Staten Island, I lived in the Markham Homes in West Brighton until Junior High and then moved to an area where I attended IS 51, Markham Intermediate School I joined the Army and now live abroad. I can tell you being one of only a few whites until the 5th grade that was bullied, kicked, had my mother called all sorts of names, had my section of the house spray painted, and was robbed on more than a few times.
The area around IS 51 is a lower middle class neighborhood, with most residents whom came to the Island from Brooklyn once the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was completed. Most people are hard working with most being of Jewish, Italian, Irish, White Cuban, and better than most Puerto Ricans who are mostly white Caribbeans.
Once however, yo cross Forest Avenue, and move on towards Port Richmond, it is a whole different setting. What was once a mostly black neighborhood, and mind you, a decent black hard working upper lower class neighborhood, has given way to a barrio where illegal Mexicans and welfare blacks rule! Mexican flags are everywhere and as Mexicans and lower income blacks struggle against each other to control the area, Black Muslims (notably what is termed a 5%’er) have moved in and things have gotten bad.
This kid in the story did nothing really wrong, but knowing the area, he should have had more sense. Until we as whites unite, and find common ground, we are going to get hit for things like this day in and day out.
We either unite and fight or just shut up and don’t put our kids through what we think is right but not have any might to defend ourselves..
Posted by American Outside at 1:21 AM on May 21
Okay, this might anger some of you. But kids have no business wearing t-shirts with logos to school, whether those logos are peace signs or Confederate flags. A school is a place for learning, not for self expression. They should wear uniforms, or, at least, neat, business casual attire (plain polo shirts and slacks).
Posted by at 2:53 AM on May 21
While teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District black and hispanic kids would display gang regalia, caps, bandannas and t-shirts.One T-Shirt showed a picture of a cop with a target over him and the words
182 La Hudda.
(kill the police)
182 is the radio call sign for homicide in progress. La Hudda
is gang slang for police.
I pointed this out to the nice white liberal Principal and he
looked like I just dropped a pile of garbage on his nice clean desk. He wanted me to clean up the mess and leave as soon as possible.
Posted by at 9:06 AM on May 21
Perhaps he went to buy a Malcolm X shirt and they were sold out that day… If you look closer, the confederate flag is just a big colorful X
Posted by at 12:31 PM on May 21
It’s only a symbol, but this episode is a reminder that symbolism trumps substance for the left. Real incidents of Blacks beating up Whites don’t produce any indignation.
Posted by at 3:30 PM on May 21
“… It might not be against the law, but consider the effect… . If the boy is being harassed because of the symbol of the T-shirt, maybe the wise thing may be, don’t wear the thing to school.”
The problem is, blacks and hispanics don’t care about going to jail. They don’t fear the consequences of breaking the law b/c they and all their friends/family have been through the jail system and they know they won’t be sitting in jail long if they pummel this poor kid or vandalize his home.
Posted by at 5:11 PM on May 21
The confederate flag was a battle flag used to distinguish the confederates from the murderous yankee invaders. The only association it should have for those with any understanding of history (which excludes nearly all blacks and many whites) is with the attempt to preserve the constitution of the founders against a murderous Northern invasion bent on the destruction of that constitution. Thus, Stonewall Jackson’s words to his troops that they were to fight in “this, our second war of American Independence”. The confederate battle flag represents the thousands of brave fighting men who sacrificed their all in the noble attempt to maintain their country’s constitution in the face of invasion. Should this country ever forget those men and their cause, it will truly have lost it soul.
Posted by at 5:57 PM on May 22
If this boy’s mother thinks she’s going to get any results from the school, she is sadly mistaken. If anything, the school will tell her and her son that he shouldn’t wear the shirt anymore because the flag is a offensive symbol and offends a huge part of the student body.
So she can either tell her son to stop wearing it or she can find a private school to send him to.
Posted by Gayle Sollenberger at 9:22 AM on May 24
Is this the battle flag or the national flag? There is a big difference in the meanings. But, the NAACP would not understand that.
Posted by Frank at 2:12 PM on May 25
The confederate flag is heritage just like everyone else has their heritage for where they live! It’s the souths heritage! If everyone would just learn to get along things wouldn’t be like they are and if people that come to live here don’t like how the USA is they can always LEAVE can’t they? Leave this boy and his family alone his has his freedom just like everyone else does that’s what our soldiers are giving their lives for so we can voice our opinions so leave him alone!
Posted by Paula at 9:58 AM on May 27