Legal Insurrection – by Jeff Reynolds
The Gresham-Barlow School District (GBSD) in Oregon has voted to change its flag display policy. If the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) approves, all schools in this district in a suburb of Portland will now display a Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag and a Progressive Pride flag, on school grounds and in all classrooms, along with the statutorily required American flag, Oregon flag, and POW/MIA flag.
In addition to the flags, the GBSD board voted to expand its policies to give all students the time to recite a land declaration and sing the Black National Anthem, adding to state statute that requires schools to provide a weekly opportunity to recite the pledge of allegiance and learning the national anthem. It also voted to use an “equity lens” when naming or renaming facilities.
Many know the BLM flag and the radical organization it stands for. For those unfamiliar with the Progressive Pride flag, it’s not merely a statement of political support, as the name implies. It’s an updated LGBTQ+ flag that includes several new stripes supporting trans people, those transitioning or non-binary, people of color, and those afflicted with AIDS. A Portland artist used Kickstarter to raise funds for his redesign of the familiar rainbow flag to include more stripes for more marginalized people. He described his intentions by saying,
Background: LGBTQ 6 full sized color stripes representing life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), harmony/peace (blue), and spirit (purple/violet)
Hoist: 5 half sized stripes representing trans individuals (light blue, light pink, white), marginalized POC communities (brown, black), as well as those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them (black).
See pics and read the rest here: Legal Insurrection