This was a popular shirt at my backwards high school in WV in the early 90s

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Created and worn by idiots to counter all those scary black people in Malcolm X hats, following the release of Spike Lee's film in 1991:

?w=640&h=534

But, really, it's totally not about race at all. "Y'all need to learn the history of that battle flag....blah, blah, blah...derp."

And, yes, it was allowed by faculty, just as they allowed guys on football team to wear KKK shirts to school. This is the kind of attitude behind this stuff, despite the playing innocent routine by the "Heritage not hate" crowd. Racism has barely left certain parts of our country, and has always existed with a nod and a wink from those in power.

Incidentally, WV was born by breaking away from the Confederacy, but the idiots here are completely clueless and never figured it out.

[drm604]

1. How can this be interpreted as anything other that a racial statement?

And it is weird that this was popular in WV.

[MADem]

6. I was gonna say raCIST statement...especially with that 'storm front' brewing behind the flag... nt

[drm604]

7. You're right of course.

I should have said racist.

[ileus]

2. Let's go mountaineers...

88 WV grad from Athens here.

[appalachiablue]

3. By age 6 or earlier I knew that West Virginia was a state that broke away from Virginia in 1861

during the start of the Civil War and entered the Union on June 20, 1863. Two West Virginia ancestors, brothers, fought for the Union Army in the Civil War and were captured and held in Libby prison in Richmond. West Virginia was a citadel of labor and a solid Democratic state when I was growing up in a city that had least 2 socialist worker newspapers, an active ACLU branch and a thriving economy and middle class. The area was not without struggle and poverty especially among the more rural population. Many residents had photos on their walls of FDR and John L. Lewis, UMWA, CIO. How unfortunate that people in your school were clueless racists you say. Note, not all people from West Virginia are backward, ignorant racists.

"I would not be where I am now, I would not have some of the responsibilities which I now bear, if it had not been for the people of West Virginia", President John F. Kennedy, June 20, 1963.

In the spring of 1960 the people of West Virginia handed Kennedy a stunning victory that he credited with securing the Democratic nomination for president.



http://www.jfklibrary.org/Exhibits/Past-Exhibits/Winning-West-Virginia.aspx

'Montani Semper Liberi', Mountaineers Are Always Free, West Virginia state motto.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. I saw those in Georgia, at about the same time

and yeah, it's kind of obvious.

[LuvNewcastle]

5. I remember when that was happening, although

I was grown when the schools were dealing with it. They didn't let the kids wear the Malcolm X or the Confederate flag tees to school here in Mississippi. A lot of the public schools started requiring uniforms here, and the patients, teachers, and admins like it better. Even the kids don't seem to mind. I prefer a liberal dress code myself, but if that's what works for them, then that's fine.

[EL34x4]

8. I remember seeing this shirt around the same time:

I'm sure worn by the same people.