A Georgia teacher allegedly showed a Powerpoint image of a Confederate flag to the teacher’s classroom accompanied by a caption reading, “A sticker you put on the back of your pickup truck to announce that you intend to marry your sister. Think of it like a white trash ‘Save the Date’ card.”
That teacher has been placed on administrative leave.
The Washington Post, referring to the Augusta Chronicle, reported, “The image, originally taken from the popular webcomic The Oatmeal, was projected onto a whiteboard to explain the concept of a story within a story, the Chronicle reported.”
The incident allegedly occurred at Hephzibah High School, where the daughter of Melissa Fuller was in the teacher’s class. Melissa Fuller told WRDW, “She found it offensive, so she sent it to me and asked me what I thought.” Fuller posted the story on Facebook. Fuller stated, “A lot of [it] is that it’s not morally correct. It’s unethical. It’s just something you don’t want to discuss today in today’s world and especially inside of a classroom.” She added, “Why was that used? With it being such a rough area, why would you put that out there to start a class discussion that could have turned very ugly?”
Fuller said her daughter had once worn a Confederate flag belt buckle to school, then removed it after she was told it was inappropriate, but still received an in-house suspension. She asked, “If she can’t wear that belt buckle, then why is it appropriate to make an assignment out of it?”
WRDW reported that the district released the following statement: “The Richmond County School System is committed to creating a diverse, equitable learning environment for all students. The language used in the example was unacceptable and has no place in our classrooms.”
The Atlanta Journal Constitution explained the history of the Georgia state flag:
The Georgia state flag was changed Feb. 13, 1956, incorporating a Confederate battle emblem into the design, as a response to the Supreme Court rulings on desegregating schools …The Georgia Legislature approved a new flag in 2001, during the administration of Gov. Roy Barnes … Architect Cecil Alexander designed the ‘compromise’ flag that flew over the Georgia Capitol from 2001 to 2003. The current design was approved in a March 2004 referendum held on the same day as the 2004 presidential primary in Georgia.
In February 2019, HB 175 was proposed in Georgia. It stated:
To amend Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the state flag, seal, and other symbols, so as to prohibit the display of monuments, memorials, plaques, markers, or memorabilia related to the Confederate States of America on public property except for museums and Civil War battlefields; to remove reference to the preservation and protection of the memorial graven upon the face of Stone Mountain; to remove reference to display of the flag of the Confederate States of America from public buildings or schools; to amend Code Section 1-4-20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to Confederate History and Heritage Month, so as to remove references to displays commemorating and honoring the history and culture of the confederacy; to amend Part 4 of Article 6 of Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, so as to remove reference to the confederate memorial; to remove provisions for the sale of confederate memorabilia by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.