Clemson University students sit out pledge of allegiance

Several Clemson University students chose to sit out the pledge of allegiance on Monday during a student government meeting.

At least a half-dozen students sat down as the pledge of allegiance was recited at the start of the meeting. Other students can be seen in a video either jarred or scanning the room to see who else is participating in the display.

Jaren Stewart, vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government, told the (Anderson) Independent Mail that students chose to sit out the pledge in solidarity with dozens of NFL players who have chosen to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and general oppression of people of color.

She told the Independent Mail that students of color at Clemson don’t face violence each day, but walk into classrooms feeling an “air of racism.”

“The social exclusion and isolation is very real and very damaging to students here,” Stewart said. “We understand the motif that there's a Clemson family — and it doesn’t include everyone.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Clemson University students sit out pledge of allegiance."