Casual day has taken on an entirely new meeting at a high school in New Jersey. When a group of educators decided to wear matching clothing, they caused quite a stir.
That school, Belleville High School in New Jersey is a largely Latino high school. The teachers decided to wear shirts that matched that day, and they read ‘Gulf of America’. That was on January 31, 2025, and not everybody was happy with the decision.
Some people thought that the decision to wear that attire was in poor taste and others thought that it was more of a political statement that supported Pres. Donald Trump. In either case, it triggered some people on a very personal level.
The reason why they wore the Golf of America shirts was because of the executive order that Donald Trump signed on January 20. He ordered that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed as the Gulf of America, stating: “The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.”
After the teachers wore the matching shirts, one teacher decided that it was too much and she aired her frustration. She said: “Our student body has been suffering, crying, coming into school, emails from kids saying their parents are not letting come back for fear that they get picked up by ICE raids.
“Our job is to support these kids and reassure them the school is safe place and to come here. I feel as if those t-shirts at Belleville High School are sending a clear-cut message to these kids in order to intimidate them and to bully them.”
Somebody else commented on the post, stating: “I wasn’t born in this country…Im a naturalized citizen and I appreciate such antics no matter my political or personal views…I personally see it as a teaching moment for my students that no matter the age people the we sometimes trust and expect more from make choices that we don’t agree with or are deemed acceptable.”
Yet another comment stated: “That’s so embarrassing. Imagine explaining this to children. We call it the ‘Gulf of America’ but the entire rest of the world refers to it by its proper name ‘gulf of Mexico.'”
The school does not have much to say on the matter, as it is an internal issue that they are handling privately. They said that they do support freedom of speech, but also say that it must be handled in a proper way in such a learning environment.
