A mother named Amelia Mornes-Njoka from Texas is furious after her black son, who has autism, was given a cap with a Confederate flag on it.
Talking to local media, Mornes-Njoka said her 21-year-old son, Austen Mornes, has been part of the Lewisville High School ISD’s Special Olympics flag football team for the past eight years.
Mornes-Njoka is furious and is demanding an apology from the coach and Lewisville ISD.
Last week, the mother said she and her family were shocked after Austen came home with the cap which has the controversial flag on the front.
Austen revealed to his mother that during practice one of his coaches gave him the hat and went on to say he did not know the meaning behind the flag.
The special-needs athlete told a reporter: “He told me like to put it on, keep it on and show it to your mom and stuff like that. I said, ‘What does this flag stand for?’ I said, ‘I don’t have no clue,’ and he says, ‘Freedom.’”
The mom said she, on the other hand, is fully aware of the meaning and symbolism behind the flag and it should not have been given to her son.
She stated: “Everybody just kind of went into an uproar because he comes in wearing this hat like it’s just a regular hat.”
Lewisville ISD issued a statement on the matter that read: “We have spoken with the adults involved in this situation, and they relayed this information. The adult volunteer, who is not an LISD employee, was wearing a cap the former student expressed interest in. The student took the cap home. The volunteer coach contacted the parents to discuss what happened and believed the situation had been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. The adult volunteers with the Special Olympics are happy to speak directly with the family if concerns remain.”
However, Austen’s mother is not satisfied with the response because the school has declined to say if they will take any actions against the three white coaches who were present when the cap was given.
The mom explained: “You know, you trust these people with your kid who has a disability. You know, and as far as I knew, I knew them well enough for my son to be around them without my supervision. My worst feeling was they were sitting there watching him and probably snickering or laughing under their breath.”
Now that Austen understands what the flag stands for, he is upset and no longer wants to return to practice.
