Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reached out to a budding political activist this week to praise her for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mariana Taylor of Catonsville Middle School made headlines in May after she brought a form of the NFL’s national anthem protests to her 6th grade classroom. The Maryland girl’s story received new life this week when the former secretary of state noticed a video of her on Twitter.
“It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11! Keep up the good work Mariana,” Mrs. Clinton tweeted.
The girl’s confrontation with her teacher earlier this year prompted her parents to contact the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.
School officials denied that Mariana was reprimanded for her in-class protest.
“We know of no [Baltimore County Public Schools] student who has been reprimanded or punished for nonparticipation in patriotic observances,” they said in a statement to The Washington Post on May 18. “We fully support students’ rights and encourage student voice as articulated in board policy.”
“I kind of wanted to show people that what’s going on is not OK,” she told the newspaper regarding racial injustice and incidents of police brutality.
It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11! Keep up the good work Mariana. https://t.co/vnGheuWyJ0
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 15, 2018
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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