Labor Day weekend is here, bringing the end of Summer and a time to celebrate the hard work of fellow Americans. Make your day off from the daily grind special by getting crafty with your kids and creating something patriotic to display in your home. From seriously simple activities to projects that are perfect for older tots, this roundup of red, white, and blue crafts is perfect for showing your love of the great USA.
Ali Fedotowsky showed her stripes, literally, in red striped J.Crew shorts, a chambray top, and navy crochet Steve Madden wedges ($60, originally $79) in NYC. The reality starlet accessorized her red, white, and blue ensemble with a red multilayered beaded necklace and oversized gold watch. Her patriotic color scheme is perfect for your next nautical adventure, and also keep it in mind while planning your upcoming Fourth of July look. Capture Ali's breezy style with red striped shorts, a denim shirt, and navy wedges, or switch things up with her exact J.Crew shorts in navy ($65), a red top, and nude wedges.
Students protested by wearing red, white, and blue duds to school after a fellow student was punished for wearing an American flag shirt. The sophomore wore the tee, which featured a tie-dyed flag motif and the words, "United States of America, Washington, DC" on the school's "hippie day," part of their homecoming festivities. The school's assistant principle deemed the shirt a violation of the school's dress code which forbids, "shirts/blouses that promote specific races, cultures, or ethnicities."
For wearing the flag shirt, the student was forced to remove it and wear a bright yellow tee in its place that read, "DCV: Dress Code Violator." His sister said the punishment shirt was pretty traumatic, "It was really embarrassing and humiliating to have to wear that all day — and just for supporting your country." The school has since reversed its decision amid the protest and publicity. The superintendent says that the assistant principle felt it was in violation of the dress code, but they've now changed their interpretation of the clause. He says, "Certainly we are taking responsibility for it and it will not happen again. A shirt that has an American flag, a shirt that has a Chinese flag or a Mexican flag, is certainly not a violation of that part of the dress code." District officials have apologized to the student, and the student body turned out fully clad in red, white, and blue the following day.
Was the administrator right to interpret the clause as she did?
Earlier this summer at a charity flag-football game thrown by Allen Iverson, Josh Howard (these men are all basketball players, apparently) made a derisive comment about the national anthem that has tipped off a storm of controversy. I wasn't familiar with this gentleman prior to this story but his message in the video is loud and clear: when the video pans to him during the singing of the anthem, Howard says:
The 'Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this sh**. I'm black.
That quote was followed by a string of the n-word and some indecipherable comments about Barack Obama. The owner of Howard's team, the Dallas Mavericks, said they've been dealing with the free-speaking incident and that ". . . we will be going through some advanced communication-skill sessions together this training camp." The comment raises an gripping question about free speech and what role race plays in a person's experience as an American.
To see the video, and analysis to the event, read more
