S.C. Girl Protests Confederate Apparel Ban

[big-daddy]

LATTA, S.C. (AP) — A 15-year-old girl led a small protest march Monday over her high school's ban on Confederate flag clothing, which she is also challenging in court.

Candice Hardwick walked with about a dozen people, about half of them family members and some wearing Confederate T-shirts, a few blocks to Latta High School. Hardwick wore a Confederate belt buckle and button and had the Confederate flag on her cell phone cover. She removed those items before entering the school, where she is a sophomore.

Hardwick says she wants to wear the emblem to pay tribute to ancestors who fought on the Confederate side of the Civil War. She said she has been forced to change clothes or turn her shirt inside-out, and has been suspended twice and threatened with being kicked off the track team.

John Kirby, school superintendent, said Monday that officials "have clothing issues every year ... and we've handled it consistently every time."

Among those marching with Candice was a black man, H.K. Edgerton, past chairman of the Southern Legal Resource Center's advisory board. The group filed a federal lawsuit in March on her behalf.

"She's made a stand for her Southland," said Edgerton. A former local NAACP leader in North Carolina, he is known for dressing up in Confederate gear to emphasize what he describes as the role blacks played in voluntarily supporting the South in the Civil War.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that the First Amendment protects students' political expressions during school hours so long as they don't substantially disrupt the education process.

The high court has not ruled specifically on whether a student may wear Confederate symbols. Three years ago, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta upheld a lower court ruling allowing a school to ban the Confederate flag.


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[dreth]

i say that shes HOT so let her wear what she wants

[big-daddy]

I agree, but not becuase she hot. 

[Dr.Dirt]

The highschool that I went to this year would not allow anything to be worn with a confederate flag, but yet the spanish kids could wear there purto rican and mexican flags without trial. It lead to alot of racial (sp?) violence and our highschool in its first year became the most violent school in our school district. It was also the only highschool in the district where kids couldnt wear the confederate flag.

[AintSkeered]

If they're not allowed to wear whatever flag they desire, how are teachers and patriotic Americans going to identify them and educate them about the evils of hate and anarchy? It's unlawful and discriminatory to give them a written test to identify their lack of education, unless it's written in their language or cultural dialect(e.g. Ebonics)!   

[DZ 350]

i say that shes HOT so let her wear what she wants

ya she looks pretty hot, wheres that school at? i might swing by there to go see what shes doin later lol

BTW i got yelled at by my P.E teacher because i wore my dixie appearl shirt with a confederate flag on it, and Dr.Dirt has a good point that the spanish and other heritages where their flags on them and they don't get yelled at, and we where a flag that shows what we belive in and to stand up for our anchestors that fought in the war, then we get yelled at  

[backwoods boy]

hey bubba i just turned 17

[Yamaha72]

wow, you guys read the part on her being 15 right?

yea not every young member on this forum is 18.... This is an ongoing issue at my school too, they had the news at my school last year for the same thing, the only thing that pisses me off is those "wannabe" rednecks that youve known for a while and they never used to dress or act like this that walk around doing dip all day just too get attention, and have horticulture 3 out of 4 classes a day....

[Pro52R]

Dixie Outfitters etc shirt are cool and such and the rebel flag has nothing to do w/ racism..but i dunno bout ya'll...but i ahve this sterotype thing..most of the ppl wearing Dixie Outfitters..oh i dunno..semm to be part of the white trash renegade

[MadMudder]

This has been a debate for years in my district. It ticks me off that people in my area think that the flag stands for slavery. It doesn't. It stands for the people that fought on the confederate side of the war and today it is our hertiage. Its just like the American flag. My cousin has a shirt that has the rebel flag on the back and under it says if you find this shirt offensive then you need a history lesson. Needless to say im looking for one right now...

[dreth]

wow, you guys read the part on her being 15 right?

yea not every young member on this forum is 18.... This is an ongoing issue at my school too, they had the news at my school last year for the same thing, the only thing that pisses me off is those "wannabe" rednecks that youve known for a while and they never used to dress or act like this that walk around doing dip all day just too get attention, and have horticulture 3 out of 4 classes a day....

where did svbolts post of shes only 15 go?  my response was a joke just like this stupid debate! the americans have no rights anymore

[svtbolt04]

wow, you guys read the part on her being 15 right?

yea not every young member on this forum is 18.... This is an ongoing issue at my school too, they had the news at my school last year for the same thing, the only thing that pisses me off is those "wannabe" rednecks that youve known for a while and they never used to dress or act like this that walk around doing dip all day just too get attention, and have horticulture 3 out of 4 classes a day....

I deleted them because I knew it was going to stir up a mess.

where did svbolts post of shes only 15 go?  my response was a joke just like this stupid debate! the americans have no rights anymore

[backwoods boy]

go to http://www.rebeloutlet.com/products.php?cat=30&PHPSESSID=3ac0065b3ea46b9cad4cc647d3b457c9 theyve got what your lookin for the history lesson thing along w/ other great CONFEDERATE stuff 

[Fox17]

the americans have no rights anymore

100% true!

[o4250]

wow, you guys read the part on her being 15 right?

the only thing that pisses me off is those "wannabe" rednecks that youve known for a while and they never used to dress or act like this that walk around doing dip all day just too get attention, and have horticulture 3 out of 4 classes a day....

Exactly! I thought my school was the only one with these kids!

[ndonnine]

If she goes far enough with this, she will win. Which will set a good example for further rulings in courts. I dont think shes' that hot lol.

bad Style.

[DZ 350]

If she goes far enough with this, she will win. Which will set a good example for further rulings in courts. I dont think shes' that hot lol.
bad Style.

she looks good from far, but she might be far from good lol

[Chuck_Norris]

She appears to have a good head on her shoulders. if only there were others with the same intestinal fortitude

[LonesomeTriZ]

It is about time somebody stands up for the side of right. Far too long has the flag been mislabled.

[gery350]

southern boy-

DUDE YOUR WAY OUT OF LINE.

[Joedirt]

Someone needs some manners , at 17 to have views like that is disgraceful.

[big-daddy]

more like a azz whooping!

[LonesomeTriZ]

Whoa. I did not even notice that. dude, you are a dumb ass straight up. You are the reason so many people relates the flag with racism.

[SWAMP_DONKEY]

i think we should tell the stupid n1ggers to shuv it r go back to africa

Grow up!!! Sometimes its better to let people wonder if you are an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[LonesomeTriZ]

By the way, it was not a choice trip for most of them there genius.