September 1, 2016 was the day that sparked a complete controversy nationwide. On this day the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the national anthem in an attempt to bring light to the issue of police brutality against African Americans in this country. Many argued that he was disrespecting troops, the flag and the country as a whole. Others said that they had no problem with him protesting, but they did not want to have to see it or be affected by it. In the midst of all of this controversy, Colin Kaepernick was terminated from the NFL. This also sparked some displeasure among a group of people. Because of this, word of boycott against the NFL began to rise. When February 3rd came around the outrage had seemed to disappear. What NFL boycott? There were Super Bowl parties everywhere. People on all social media platforms were commenting on the game, commercials and the halftime show. So obviously the boycott was pretty much nonexistent. It is evident that enjoyment and entertainment of football trumps the compassion people have for social injustice and police brutality.
The most recent controversy is with the luxury brands, Gucci and Prada. It has been discovered that these designers have been using blackface designs within their merchandise. Blackface has a strong history and is sadly still makes its appearance in today’s society. Blackface is an extremely stereotypical depiction of African Americans. It makes a mockery of the people of this race, so why would anyone think that it is okay to use this and attempt to profit off of it? People who work in these offices either lack people with a different point of view to see these issues or the people in these jobs don’t see a problem with it. Maybe it is a combination of both. The rapper T.I. called for a boycott of these brands for their lack of attention to these issues. But just like the NFL boycott, will people actually participate?
When you look back at the civil rights movement, people were very head strong. The people were driven by their passion for social justice. The high participation in the Montgomery bus boycott hit them where it hurt, which was their pockets. In order to make change today, we have to be just as driven and passionate as the ones who came before us. Nowadays people seem to have different priorities and aren’t willing to be serious when it comes to these issues. Very few people are actually willing to make sacrifices necessary to move forward. The sacrifices being made now are nowhere near the sacrifices our ancestors made. They were willing to die to be treated the same as everyone else.
Now, when we say we are going to boycott Gucci do we really mean it? Or is the clout connected with these brands too hard to let go? Even though it is 2019 and we have come a long way, there is still ways to go. Blackface is still being used and innocent people are still being killed. So, hopefully we can realize what really matters sooner rather than later.