We’ve been covering the story of young 12-year-old Jaiden who was asked to leave his class at The Vanguard School because he had a Gadsden Flag on his backpack. As my colleague Brandon Morse reported, when the school called his mother in to explain the issue, they told her the patch was offensive because of its beginnings in slavery and the slave trade. Jaiden’s mother pointed out that the flag had nothing to do with slavery but was a flag flown during the Revolutionary War as a symbol against tyrannical rule and unjust laws.
The video went viral, touching off a firestorm on social media after a video recording of the exchange was posted by Tuttle Twins author Conor Boyack on X. Jaiden said he was sticking to his guns and going back to school with the flag on to challenge the booting.
Meet 12yo Jaiden who was kicked out of class yesterday in Colorado Springs for having a Gadsden flag patch, which the school claims has “origins with slavery.”
The school’s director said via email that the patch was “disruptive to the classroom environment.”
Receipts in the 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qQ8jK1zSpR
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 29, 2023
All the attention then caused the school to back down and say that he was welcome to come back and keep the flag on his backpack. As our Brandon Morse observed, this was a win, but it shouldn’t have happened to begin with, with a school so stepping on the child’s rights.
Now Jaiden has a few final words on the fight. Those words bode well for the future but they also highlight what Morse said about the continual battle against those who want to take such actions that suppress our rights.
Jaiden speaks! He’s so grateful for all the support you’ve all shown. 🇺🇸💪🏼🎉 pic.twitter.com/pyW9pzsic2
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
Jaiden explains that when he went back to school, he played with a tri-corner hat, something that many men wore during the Revolutionary War. He said kids in the school were talking about it. He described how all the kids were “hyped up” because they saw him on Twitter/X. He made a bunch of new friends, and now they were putting Gadsden Flags on their lockers.
I have to say that’s pretty cool, that a little boy’s fight for his basic rights has sparked such a reaction by his classmates. It seems like American history and the values upon which we were created as a nation seem to get short shrift in schools today, It’s exciting and kind of wonderful that kids are embracing our history in such a concrete way. Bravo to young Jaiden for helping to educate his classmates. That’s the good part for the future, and that generation coming up.
But the other part of it is what Jaiden says in the video — that some of his teachers were giving him dirty looks, because of the controversy, for standing up for his rights. That’s a sad and troubling reaction, and it’s also not very professional if that’s true. The teachers shouldn’t be treating him any differently. But it shows the constant battle when so many have such a mindset.
To add to a final cool moment, even Superman (actor Dean Cain) recognized him, “Good job, Jaiden. It takes bravery to stand alone for what is right.”
Jaiden looks like he’s learned a lot, taught a few things to many others, and looks like he’s pretty excited to have picked up some new friends. So good for him for standing up in the continual battle and inspiring people with his fight. And good on his parents for raising such a fine young man.
