Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton applauded a child Wednesday for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during class.

“It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11!” Clinton tweeted. “Keep up the good work Mariana.”

It takes courage to exercise your right to protest injustice, especially when you’re 11! Keep up the good work Mariana. https://t.co/vnGheuWyJ0 — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 15, 2018

Clinton was referring to Mariana Taylor, 11, who was reprimanded by her Catonsville Middle School teacher in Maryland for protesting racial injustice by kneeling for the pledge. Taylor said she was inspired by Colin Kaepernick after his protest during NFL games gained worldwide attention. (RELATED: Hillary Clinton Will Offer Transportation To Illegal Immigrants)

“I decided to kneel for the school pledge and when I did so, my teacher, she came up to me and she told me that, well, she basically implied that I was disrespecting the country,” said Taylor. “Legally, this is not in her rights as a teacher to speak to a student like this.”

The ACLU subsequently got involved in the incident, arguing that students and teachers do not lose their freedom of speech whether or not they are at school.

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