“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all…”

These 31 words used to be recited every morning during third-period homeroom announcements. They have now transitioned, along with us, to distance learning; student bulletins are posted every morning in the Kamiak ASB Schoology group. They include a typed version of the pledge—along with a picture of the American flag—for students to read and recite before reading the announcements. However, the question isn’t whether students actually stand up with their right hand over their hearts while reading this Google document (or if they even bother to read the announcements at all). Rather, we must ask ourselves why “The Pledge of Allegiance” is in schools in the first place, and what it means for Kamiak students, more specifically students of color.

Beginning as young as kindergarteners, students in the Mukilteo School District are taught to stand for the pledge and recite the oath from memory. The reason why the pledge is recited in schools is simple and aligns with why it was created in the first place—to instill American patriotism.

The origins of “The Pledge of Allegiance” stem from the Civil War, one of the costliest and deadliest wars ever fought on American soil. If you haven’t been paying attention in history class, the Civil War happened after decades of tensions over the question of slavery in the United States: the northern states who wanted to abolish slavery fought the southern states who believed slavery was vital for the American economy.

Union flags became omnipresent during the war, along with loyalty test—a method of pardoning those who were arrested on suspicions of disloyalty in the North if they submitted to an oath of allegiance. In 1862, Congress adopted the “Ironclad Test Oath,” in which civil servants and military officers had to swear loyalty to the Union, as well as affirming no previous disloyalty: a clause aimed at Confederate sympathizers.

The practice of pledging continued after the war because of the desire to have more American citizens demonstrate their respect for the flag and patriotism for the country. The popularity of “The Pledge of Allegiance” in schools can be credited to a promotional gimmick by the country’s largest-circulation magazine at the time, the Youth’s Companion. The Companion offered U.S. flags to readers who sold subscriptions, and on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World, the magazine planned to raise the Stars and Stripes “over every Public School from the Atlantic to the Pacific” and salute it with an oath.

Francis Bellamy wrote “The Pledge of Allegiance” in two hours in 1892. He was a writer and publicist at the Companion with a socialist’s perspective, and through his speeches and editorials that were equal parts marketing, political theory, and racism, he argued that Gilded Age capitalism, along with “every alien immigrant of inferior race,” eroded traditional values. The pledge would ensure “that the distinctive principles of true Americanism will not perish as long as free, public education endures.”

Congress formally adopted the pledge in 1942, and the name, “The Pledge of Allegiance,” was adopted in 1945. Today, 45 states require a regularly scheduled recitation of the pledge in public schools. The Supreme Court in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ruled in 1943 that students cannot be compelled to recite the pledge, nor can they be punished for not doing so. Forcing students to recite the pledge not only violates the First Amendment, the protection of free speech, but also sparks the debate about whether students are blindly pledging loyalty.

Washington State Law (RCW 28.A.230.140) calls for “appropriate flag exercises to be held in each classroom at the beginning of the school day… at which exercises those pupils so desiring shall recite… Students not reciting the pledge shall maintain a respectful silence.” Washington State Law makes it evident that students have no obligation to pledge should they desire not to.

However, the Mukilteo School District (MSD) is more ambiguous regarding specific rules of “The Pledge of Allegiance.” The Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook (found on the Mukilteo School District website) is an essential resource for students that highlights the key rights of MSD students in public education. However, after close inspection of the handbook and its contents, there appears to be no explicit language concerning the acknowledgment of students’ rights to not stand and recite the pledge. A brief section dedicated to “Freedom of Expression” (Board Policy 3220) states, “Students' verbal and written expression of opinion on school premises is to be encouraged so long as it does not substantially disrupt the operation of the school.”

The lack of clarity surrounding the pledge is concerning to students who may be unaware of their rights. Kamiak ASB President Nahoum Giles (‘22), when asked about this lack of transparency in the handbook, said, “It should be told to all students that they are not expected to stand up for [the pledge]. People need to know what their rights are, and in the sense that it is not explicitly said [in the student handbook], that’s an issue.”

As a Black student, Giles expressed that he doesn’t stand for the pledge, for the same reason as many other students of color. “If you look at the line ‘Liberty and justice for all,’ I don’t believe that value is represented when I stand for ‘The Pledge of Allegiance.’ Systemic racism and oppression are prevalent and alive. It affects me and other students of color to this day.”

Giles has unfortunately experienced his fair share of microaggressions and racial slurs on school grounds. One incident that stands out the most was when he went to go use the water fountain in the gym. Another student, who Giles had barely talked to before this encounter, moved towards the water fountain and told Giles: “Go to your own water fountain, negro.” However, Giles was even more shocked when a staff member witnessed this encounter and failed to take necessary action. “He saw [the interaction]. His mouth visibly dropped, and he continued with his day. He didn’t say anything.”

An anonymous, voluntary survey was posted for students on the Kamiak ASB Schoology page to articulate their opinions about standing for the pledge at school. Whether they were students of color or not, many revealed their firm stance on the pledge aligning with that of Giles.

Note: the following responses have been edited for length and clarity.

“This nation was not made for people of my skin color. This nation wasn’t made for us, and I will not stand for something I don’t believe in. People like me are dying more and more every day, justice has not been served and we have no equality.” - A senior who identifies as a student of color

“The words used in the [pledge] do not symbolize what America is or what it stands for as a whole. I refuse to stand by a country that doesn't care for their POC. Only the straight, cis male, conservative is allowed liberty and justice.” - A sophomore who identifies as a student of color

“I've changed my thoughts about the pledge this year. The pledge states ‘justice for all’ while currently there is no ‘justice’ for all.” - A sophomore who does not identify as a student of color

“Although this change in leadership will greatly better our country, there is still so much to be done for people of color. I don’t feel comfortable standing for a flag that only represents white people.” - A senior who does not identify as a student of color

Out of the 79 responses, when asked, “During in-person learning, did you stand and recite ‘The Pledge of Allegiance?’” 34.2% of students (27 students) answered no, and 39.2% (31 students) answered yes while the remaining 26.6% of students (21 students) were in the middle with “sometimes.” However, when asked, “If we returned to in-person learning tomorrow, would you stand for the pledge?” the majority of surveyors answered no in some form. 44.3% answered “Yes, like I always have” while 19% answered, “No, I never have.” Interestingly enough, 36.7% answered, “No, my opinions about standing for the pledge have shifted over the past months.”

Uproar in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement during the last couple of months may have contributed to the shift in student perspectives as it has with much of the nation. Although BLM started in 2012, the cause picked up more traction after Micheal Brown’s death in 2014. However, on May 25, 2020, the death of George Floyd in police custody reignited the movement to a scale unimaginable, with over 2,000 protests across all 50 states in the two weeks after his death. According to Count Love, a database of protests since 2017, on June 6 alone there were at least 531 protests nationwide.

The recent persistence of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations despite a global pandemic was also the result of broader social grievances as many Americans felt a threat placed on democracy and equality by Donald Trump. Due to the pandemic and protest, Americans placed the utmost importance on the victor of the 2020 Presidential Election—which candidate would lead the nation out of a health crisis as well as ease racial tensions? In a teary message regarding the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, CNN political commentator Van Jones said, “It’s vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered. ‘I can’t breathe:’ that wasn’t just George Floyd, that was a lot of people who felt they couldn’t breathe.”