The Obligatory MLK Day Post: Rashan X's Attempt At Civil Disobedience

It's MLK Day, so all over blogworld, little black bloggers and little white bloggers will join together to offer their analysis of race relations, tell you that the dream has not been fully realized and encourage you to keep hope alive. Well, I'm not gonna do that. All of the race talk serves a great purpose, but you can get that all over today. Me, I'm gonna tell you a story. It's a story about a young man struggling to find his racial identity in the suburbs of Savannah, Georgia. That young man... well of course its me.

The year was 1991. He was a junior at Windsor Forest High School. A quiet young man sat in his home room class listening to the morning announcements. As always, he was working on some rhymes when the PA system beckoned him to stand.

"Please rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance."

This young man was obedient. He stood respectfully and pretended to go along with the program. But truth be told, he was not feeling this at all. His mind contemplated why he as an African American should be allegiant to America, when America was very seldom allegiant to his kind. He thought that it was actually hypocritical of him to recite the pledge when in his heart, he didn't feel wanted by America. His pro black leanings, as well as the research he had been doing did not coincide with the words he was being forced to recite. So, he did as he always did: he stood quietly out of respect to other's patriotism, but in fact did not move his lips.

On this day, he noticed something. Some of his white classmates did in fact say the pledge, but others would make a mockery of it. He heard this:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of Denmark. And to the monarchy for which it stands, one nation, invisible, under Todd, with liberty and justice for some...

And then they laughed. Their chuckles irritated him. Here were some white teenagers who had the world in the palm of their hands, and they mocked the pledge. He surmised that he could never get away with something of that manner. He decided the next day that he would test that theory.

The next morning, he again listened to the morning announcements, rhyme notebook open. When it came time for the pledge, he made a fateful decision. He stayed in his seat. The other classmates all stood, and continued with their mockery of the pledge, but he remained seated hands folded, in respectful silence. It did not go unnoticed. His homeroom teacher inquired why he did not stand for the pledge.

"I respectfully decline to recite the pledge of allegiance. I do not feel that I have the same rights as other citizens, and therefore do not wish to pledge my allegiance to this country. I will, however, respect the other students rights to do so."

Yeah, he rehearsed that one all night long. He didn't know if he would have the nerve to say it when the time came, but he managed to maintain his resolve. He was told in no uncertain terms that tomorrow, he had better stand for the pledge. When tomorrow arrived, he kept his respectful, silenced seat. This time, his homeroom teacher was apoplectic.

"I thought I told you yesterday that you were required to stand for the pledge."
"You did. As I stated yesterday, I respectfully decline"
"I won't stand for this."
"Nor will I. I believe one of the cornerstones of this country's constitution is the right to freedom of expression. I am exercising that right by refusing to submit to the idol worship of the American flag."

Yeah, he practiced that one as well. LOL

"Okay, Mr. Weldon. You can go see the assistant principal."
"For what? I didn't do anything wrong."
"I wont tolerate this insubordination. You were given a directive which you failed to respond to."

He was scared, but strengthened by his homeroom teacher's strong response. He intended to spark debate, and now it had come to fruition. More than that, he wanted to prove a point and to out debate his teachers and show how intelligent he really was. It only made sense that an African American would have concerns about the conditions of his people. These concerns were bigger than a two line mention in his AP History text book. African Americans were bigger than just slavery and Martin Luther King, but you would never know that judging from the school's curriculum. He intended to raise this point with the assistant principal. His one man show of civil disobedience had begun.

He wandered the hallways of the high school, gathering his nerve for the upcoming confrontation. He knew that's what it would be: a confrontation. He was set to meet Mr. Somerset, an African American administrator with what seemed to be a Napoleon Complex. He stood 5'4" at best, but walked and talked with an authority that was seldom, if ever successfully challenged. He would have preferred to meet with Mrs. Wong, the kindly Asian principal, who already liked him because of his sister's years as an honors student. He was no slouch himself, taking many Advanced Placement courses, albeit not as successfully because of his aversion to homework. When he felt he could no longer put off the inevitable, he headed to Mr. Somerset's office.

"Son, why are you here."
"Mr. ____ (I can't remember his name for anything) sent me down here because I didn't say the pledge of allegiance."
"Why not?!?
"I don't believe in it."

His eloquence had left him.

"C'mon, Mr. Weldon. You are an honors student. I've never had any problems out of you. Why do you want to start trouble?"
"There's no trouble. I just don't feel its right for me as a black man to recite the pledge."
"Aren't you American?"
"By birth, yes. I am an American citizen, but I like other blacks receive second class citizenship. How can I be..."
"I don't wanna hear any of that. Tomorrow, you say the pledge like you were told"
"But, what about..."
"That'll be all"
"Don't you want to..."
"You're dismissed Mr. Weldon. Get a pass from the secretary"

He walked out of the office incensed. Never in his life can he remember being talked to in such a manner. Wasn't school supposed to be a place for intelligent discourse? Shouldn't intelligent conversation be encouraged? Instead, he was dismissed like one of the trouble makers with a penchant for starting fights and cutting class. He was, in his mind, just treated like a second class citizen. He was sure that the white students would not have been summarily excused from the assistant principals office without so much as an opportunity to plead his case. His resolve was further galvanized by this experience. He was determined to make a stand, damn the consequences...

Part 2 later today. LOL - I just want you to keep coming back to my blog all day. I'm kidding, but it's just getting too long.