The pledge of allegiance was originally written in 1892 by a then-37-year-old minister named Francis Bellamy. It was first recited that same year on October 12th to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. Since then, it has grown in popularity, becoming a ubiquitous feature of American education and civic life. But what does it mean? What does it really mean? How have these words shaped us to think about what America is, and what it means for each of us as citizens of this nation. Using the tools of Biblical antiracism, how does a knowledge of the history of racism, combined with a knowledge of scripture, allow us to consider the messages in the pledge, and the way the pledge is used and understood here in America and around the world?
Our team of Christian antiracism educators and friends sit down to discuss these ideas and more as part of our series “The Pledge – What Does It Mean?” Today we begin this conversation by considering the phrase, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.”