Skyla Madria, a fifth-grade student at Alexander Middle School in Pearland, Texas, declined to stand for the national anthem. The 10-year-old stated that she dislikes it since it was composed by a slave owner, and she is outraged by a section of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that she claims refers to slavery. As a result, she feels the song is racist and has stated that she would not tolerate it.
In recent years, taking a knee during the national anthem to protest alleged police brutality, black oppression, racism, and other claimed social injustices has expanded across the culture. The contentious issue that began in the NFL with many players kneeling during the national anthem has found its way to the children’s classrooms after professional athletes chose to turn some heads and garner a lot of attention.
Madria, who is just ten years old, chose to follow in the footsteps of the NFL by criticizing the national anthem itself. The fifth-grader objected to “The Star-Spangled Banner” since it was composed by a slave owner, Francis Scott Key. She also stated that she is objecting because one of the songs, which is not commonly sung, relates to slavery.
When she heard the third verse of the national anthem, she concluded it’s not right, and he shouldn’t have written that, Madria added, alluding to a section of the anthem that is no longer commonly performed. So, in two weeks, the 10-year-old girl kneels in protest three times, but her nonviolent protest did not go down well with her coach, according to the youngster.
He told her she should respect the flag, respect the country, and stand up for this pledge, Madria said, describing the supposed criticism she received from school officials, beginning with her coach. He screamed at her. He referred her to the principal. The principal contacted her mom and scolded the child for not standing.
If the school had hoped that Madria’s mother would urge her to stand, they were severely mistaken. Madria’s mother, Elizabeth Owens, backed her daughter’s choice.
Following the claimed response of Pearland Independent School District, Owens contacted community activist Quannel X. Why would one expect any African American kid or citizen to stand and salute a flag with a song written by a slave master who promised nothing but trouble to blacks from birth to death? Quannel X posed a rhetorical question.
However, a Pearland ISD spokesman was perplexed by the assertions made by Quannel X and Madria. The national song is not sung in school, according to the spokeswoman. Rather, before a minute of quiet, kids repeat the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge. So it appears Madria was kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance, not “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as she stated.
Furthermore, the school provides a significantly different account of how the purported incidents occurred. When a Pearland ISD student recently knelt during the Pledge of Allegiance, the instructor requested that the youngster rise, Pearland ISD said in a statement. As Quanell X claims, the instructor did not touch or punish the pupil in any manner.
Madria and Quannel X aren’t the only ones presenting the media a very different version about the event, according to the statement. According to the school, her mom is also singing a different tune, as the student’s parents first informed campus authorities that the youngster should stand as well.
After hearing about the complaint, Pearland ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kelly stated that kids can be excused from the Pledge of Allegiance with the approval of their parents, as Texas law permits. All Owens had to do was grant formal permission for Madria to sit throughout the vow. Owens stated that she intended to submit the proper consent form, allowing Madria to opt out of the Pledge of Allegiance, yet that the family still desired an apology.
Should they, however, be the ones to issue one? A lot of Skyla Madria’s tale made no sense. The 10-year-old appeared to be opposing the national anthem but sat through the vow. While it’s unclear whether she mixed the two, it’s evident that her erroneous version of events generated a lot of fuss for nothing. A little conversation cleaned things out, so maybe that’s where individuals should begin instead of turning to activists and local news.
