Children support classmate expelled for wearing Gadsden patch.
Jaiden Rodriguez Returns to School After Standing Up for His Rights
Jaiden Rodriguez, the 12-year-old who bravely stood up against ignorance at his Colorado Springs school, is back with his fellow students after a quick victory.
Rodriguez was initially kicked out of The Vanguard School for refusing to remove a Gadsden flag patch from his backpack. The school administration mistakenly believed that the flag was connected to American slavery.
Thanks to an outpouring of support from conservatives across the country, including Colorado’s Democratic governor, Rodriguez has been welcomed back to school. Even his classmates have shown their support by displaying “Don’t Tread on Me” on their lockers.
Jaiden speaks! He’s so grateful for all the support you’ve all shown. pic.twitter.com/pyW9pzsic2
— Connor Boyack (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
In a video posted on X, Rodriguez shared his experience, saying, “Today was a good day — kind of. When I got to school, all the kids were really hyped up because they saw me on Twitter. And kids are putting ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ on their lockers.”
However, Rodriguez also mentioned that some teachers were not happy with him and gave him dirty looks. It’s clear that not everyone at the school supports his stand against ignorance.
If I were a professional educator (and I used to be) and a 12-year-old made me look like a fool in interviews published nationwide by household names like Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro, I might be tempted to glace askance at him too. (Luckily, though I did more than my share of dumb stuff as a teacher and administrator, I got out of education before I could do anything quite this dumb.)
The school’s administration saw the “Don’t Tread on Me” image and mistakenly believed it was racist. They did minimal research to support their misguided assumption.
Despite the historical facts, school administrator Jeff Yocum cited a 2014 decision by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in an email to Rodriguez’s mother. The EEOC ruled that the Gadsden flag could be viewed as racist if someone feels it is racist, regardless of its actual meaning.
However, the EEOC also acknowledged that the flag originated in the Revolutionary War and has no connection to racism or slavery. It is often used to express non-racial sentiments in political contexts.
Despite this, Yocum argued that the flag is racist because some hate groups have used it. This argument is flawed, as the Gadsden flag has nothing to do with the shameful history of slavery in the United States.
In fact, the flag symbolizes one of the proudest moments in American history—the fight for independence from the British empire. It has also become a symbol of constitutional conservatives who oppose government overreach.
Conservatives from across the country, as well as Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Ted Lieu, spoke up in support of Rodriguez. The response to his X post was overwhelmingly positive.
Cute kid. Great mom. Justice won.
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) August 31, 2023
Even Juanita Broaddrick, a prominent figure in the Bill Clinton scandal, praised Rodriguez and his mother, saying, “Cute kid. Great mom. Justice won.”
It’s heartening to see young individuals like Jaiden Rodriguez standing up for their rights and receiving support from people across the political spectrum. The fight against ignorance and revisionist history continues, and Rodriguez’s victory is a step in the right direction.
The post Kids Stand Up for Their Peer Kicked Out of Class for His Gadsden Patch appeared first on The Western Journal.
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