Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
A student government at a California university banned flags from hanging in its common space Tuesday. This includes the American flag.
The Associated Students of University of California, Irvine (ASUCI) elected six to four (with two abstentions) to ban all flags from their ‘Associated Students’ main lobby space, Campus Reform reported.
“ASUCI is a student-run and student elected organization that advocates on behalf of students and creates programs that enhance the student experience at UC Irvine,” and has been in existence since November of 1966, according to the the group’s website.
Bill number R50-70 read: “Whereas the traditional patriotic interpretation of a flag is a result of a nation and/or persons who encourage a national understanding of the flag.”
“Whereas traditional understandings and ideologies, as encouraged by the national government, include liberty, democracy, constitution values and are up for interpretation on constituents,” it continued.
No special exclusion was included in the AUSCI bill for the American flag, which is thus also banned from the common area:
Whereas a common ideological understanding of the United States includes American exceptionalism and superiority.
Whereas the American flag has been flown in instances of colonialism and imperialism.
Whereas symbolism has negative and positive aspects that are interpreted differently by individuals.
Whereas displaying a flag does not express only selective aspects of its symbolism but the entire spectrum of its interpretation.
BCN editor’s note: This article first appeared at Western Journalism.
(BCN editor’s update: The school’s student government vetoed the American flag ban on Saturday.)
