URGENT: CLICK TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE LEFT!
(DC Pundit) – There’s a reason commencement speeches go through an approval process. Apparently, Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz didn’t get that memo, or simply chose to ignore it.
Hijaz earned the honor of delivering her school’s commencement address in North Carolina thanks to her academic achievements. It’s a well-deserved privilege extended to students who demonstrate excellence. What it is not, however, is an open invitation to commandeer a graduation ceremony and turn it into a political soapbox. Someone should have explained that distinction beforehand.
According to The New York Post, Hijaz ditched her pre-approved remarks midway through her speech to launch into a rant against ICE and push pro-Palestine propaganda to a captive audience of graduating students and their families, people who showed up to celebrate an achievement, not sit through a political lecture.
“Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say. Every single person here has a voice; we have the privilege to use it when millions around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard,” Hijaz stated before going off script.
“Whether it’s the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, and so many other countries around the world, or families being torn apart by ICE. These are not just an issue here; they are happening there, they’re happening right here as I speak,” she continued.
As Hijaz pressed on — “My point is, we’re not given a voice to stay silent” — Principal Melissa Moore had heard enough. Moore walked directly onto the stage, pulled the microphone away, and escorted Hijaz off.
Good for Principal Moore. That took backbone, and frankly, it’s the kind of decisive leadership that’s been sorely missing in far too many American schools these days.
Hijaz, predictably, was not pleased. She later complained that she was only able to deliver half of her speech and, brace yourself, claimed she felt “oppressed.” Getting your microphone cut at a graduation ceremony you hijacked for unauthorized political theater is not oppression. It’s consequences. There’s a difference, and perhaps that’s the most valuable lesson she’ll take away from the whole episode.
Educators who enforce boundaries and protect the integrity of school events deserve support, not condemnation. Principal Moore did exactly what any responsible administrator should do when a student decides the rules don’t apply to them. Here’s hoping more school leaders around the country take note.
URGENT: CLICK TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE LEFT!
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