Yahoo News Hillary Clinton praises schoolgirl's NFL-inspired kneeling protest
Hillary Clinton has praised an 11-year-old girl's NFL-inspired kneeling protest which saw get down on one knee during her school's pledge of allegiance.
Mariana Taylor argued it was “in her right to kneel” after she was inspired by former NFL player and activist Colin Kaepernick.
The youngster, however, was called into a meeting where she defended her actions after she was reprimanded over the protest, Now This reports.
Mrs Clinton has praised the young girl’s “courage” for standing up for what she believes in.
The 70-year-old tweeted: “It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11!
“Keep up the good work Mariana.”
‘It is in my rights that I am allowed to kneel.’ — Mariana Taylor, 11, was disciplined by her teacher for kneeling in protest during the Pledge of Allegiance pic.twitter.com/up4PoHAmtS
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 13, 2018
Mariana, from Baltimore, said: “I decided to kneel for the school pledge and when I did so, my teacher came up to me and she told me that, well, she basically implied I was disrespecting the country and she brought up her family overseas.
“To my current belief, legally that is not in her rights as a teacher to speak to a student like this.”
She added she left the classroom “in tears” following the confrontation.
It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11! Keep up the good work Mariana. https://t.co/vnGheuWyJ0
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 15, 2018
She said: “It is in my rights that I am allowed to kneel. Students are allowed to take stands as long as it is not disruptive to the classroom.
“I feel that my confrontation was more disruptive than kneeling itself.”
Her inspiration for the protest came from Mr Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice at NFL games, the youngster said.
The sportsman took a knee during the national anthem and gained global attention for his non-violent protest, which led to criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Speaking about NFL players taking a knee, Mr Trump famously said: “Wouldn’t you love to see on of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag, to say: ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right nos. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired’”.
It is reported that the ACLU said the Supreme Court has already established that students and teachers do not lose First Amendment rights when they enter a school.
According to CBS News, Jay Jimenez, a legal associate for the ACLU of Maryland, said: "The ACLU urges Baltimore County and all Maryland schools to review and update their policies to honor respectful student activism in the future, like silently 'taking a knee' during the Pledge of Allegiance."
