Pledge of Allegiance
I’ve never been a big “Pledge of Allegiance” fan.
As a kid growing up in a homogenous New Jersey suburb where football ruled and intellect garnered suspicion, I secretly bristled every morning when the teacher told us to stand up and mindlessly declare loyalty to a flag standing in the corner. I especially resented the “under God” part, since, even at a young age, I wasn’t at all convinced such a power was in charge.
But I never said anything. As a “good” girl with good grades, I did as I was told—just like everyone else.
Then a new girl came to town. With her wild curls, torn jeans, and flowing peasant shirts, 16-year-old Deborah Lipp instantly stood out among the sea of Fair Isle sweaters, stick-straight hair, and varsity team jackets that dominated the Mountain Lakes High School tableau.
Deborah stuck out even more when she refused to stand during her homeroom class’ recitation of the pledge of allegiance, calling its description of the United States as a land of “liberty and justice for all” a lie.
Deborah’s previous school was private and left her alone. Mountain Lakes…not so much. She was bullied. Called a commie and told to move to Russia. Though I was still in middle school, I sensed the sting of hatred and ire that our supposedly wholesome community directed toward her and her family.
Threatened with expulsion from school, Deborah--a straight-A student who worked part-time as an aide for special needs students--agreed to go along with a NJ state statute requiring students to stand during the pledge, even if they chose not to recite it.
Then…. she went straight to the ACLU. With their help, Deborah sued the State of New Jersey.
Before kids returned to school in the Fall of 1977, a federal court stood with Deborah and overturned that law, stating that it violated First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and expression.
Deborah won her right to follow her moral compass. That didn’t mean her efforts won the good will of our town. She actually had to hide out at a “friend’s” house because of threats to her and her family.
She also didn’t go running to find easy allies. When a Communist-oriented group reached out and invited her to attend their seminars, Deborah was furious that they assumed she didn’t support Democracy or love her country. Calling the Constitution a “marvelous, magnificent document,” Deborah added, “I love the freedom that I have to do what I’m doing right now. I love the freedom to fight a law I don’t like. In other countries, I’d have to keep my mouth shut.”
Almost 50 years later, I found myself last week standing and pledging allegiance to the flag—over and over and over and over and over again—along with dozens of other Tennesseans who packed a committee room at the state Capitol as legislators tried to advance a bill that would deny countless children a public education because they weren’t documented. It’s just another bill among so many that are aimed at dismantling our Democracy in this state and in this country as a whole.
With each round of the pledge, the folks in suits at the front of the room looked more uncomfortable. With each person who stood up for what they believed in and what this country stands for, the number of state troopers in the room climbed. With each utterance of the words in our pledge, our voices grew louder, especially those last ones about “liberty and justice for ALL.”
After about 15 minutes, the legislators pulled together their papers, adjourned the meeting, and skulked out of the room. Of course, they’d meet again without us and probably get their hateful law passed. But we made our voices heard.
We stood and pledged in protest. We stood and pledged when they didn’t want us to. We stood and pledged because we love this country and won’t let tyranny, cruelty, and hatred win.
As I pledged, I thought of Deborah and the irony of it all. I realized that I’m done with being a “good” girl for people who aren’t good. I think a lot of us are. I think Deborah would stand with us.
Splitting her time between New Jersey and Nashville, Peg Rosen is a veteran health journalist who has spent her career translating complex medical information into words that educate, inspire, and empower. Her work has been featured in Oprah, Parents, Prevention, AARP, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, WebMD, Verywell Health, and HealthCentral, among other top-tier platforms and publications.
Love this Peggy. Spent Art class with DL. So admired her.
I’ll pledge allegiance to the flag when it demonstrates allegiance to me. I have refused to recite it since elementary school and will continue to do so — especially now.