Oneida High School cheerleaders were upset that the school chose to ban prayer at their games, so they decided to pray on their own and found they had supporters among the opposing team and the crowd.
Watch their interview with Fox News:
Local cheerleaders’ fight to keep prayer on the football field has gained national attention.
A couple years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee asked Oneida High School to stop announcing prayers over the PA system, but Oneida bucked the order and kept the pre-game prayer. That continued until this season. Oneida High School started feeling pressure from outside groups to end that religious tradition, so they replaced the prayer with a moment of silence.
But the cheerleading squad felt that a moment of silence wasn’t enough, so co-captain of the squad, Asia Canada, took action.
“He called for the moment of silence, and I started off, ‘Our Father who art in heaven’ and everyone joined in,” Asia told WBIR 10News on Monday.
Now it has become a tradition before every home game; the cheerleaders lead the prayer – not over the PA – but with their voices.