MESQUITE, Texas – Joe Mitchell says all he wanted to do was make crosses as gifts for friends when he signed up for a ceramics class at Eastfield Community College in Mesquite.
Instead, he says, the ceramics instructor compared the crucifix to a swastika in trying to explain why crosses were not permitted.
“I felt humiliated and that my spirituality was being demeaned,” said Mitchell, a retired Dallas resident and student at the public college. “The whole point of art is to express who you are.”
Mitchell says he was told on several occasions by instructors and administrative staff that he could not make ceramic crosses, concluding with an ultimatum ban on crosses this fall.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has the Christmas spirit or even a basic understanding of religious freedom,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute. “The government cannot ban crosses and religious symbols.”
Shakelford says college officials are not only banning crosses, but menorahs and other religious items from the class.
In response, the institute sent a demand letter on Tuesday on behalf of Mitchell, alleging the school has committed an unconstitutional attack on religious expression in the classroom.
Eastfield Community College officials could not be reached for comment.
