Recently I, and many other students, have noticed how students are free to wear their Confederate flag merchandise in public schools. Belts, tee-shirts, hoodies, pants, pins, bookbags. It's everywhere. Recently, the confederate flag has been banned in certain areas, and we believe that schools should be next. Students are SCARED. Gang affiliated signs are very quickly removed from school settings. Women displaying their midriffs are told to change clothes and are dress coded. Yet, the Confederate flag, a symbol used to justify slavery and racism, is still displayed in school settings with no academic or social repercussions. We can change this by banning the confederate flag from public school grounds. 

Here are a few reasons why the confederate flag should be banned from school property. 

1. Its racist connotations, this flag is TIED to slavery and the ideology that Black people are inferior to white individuals. These displays of hate speech have gone unchecked for far too long. 

2. Over 75% of Black individuals claim that they are uncomfortable with the Confederate flag.

3. The Confederate flag is often used by white supremacists to justify their racism, and by claiming that the flag is simply "their heritage." However, for Black people, this flag means lynching, and that they aren't welcome.