Since August, San Fransinco 49er’s Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has created a whirlwind of controversy for refusing to stand for The National Anthem as a sign of peaceful protest for all of the racial and social injustice going on in the United States.
Players on the Philiadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and players outside the NFL like the WNBA and The women’s MLS alike have participated in this protest. Many Americans are scolding Kaepernick, making statements that sitting or kneeling during the national anthem is not how you have a peaceful protest, and my question for those people is simply this : what kind of protests can African Americans do that will not upset you?
Kaepernick and the many other black athletes are doing this because there is so much injustice towards black people and other minorities happening in the United States that they feel that until they get justice there is no point in standing for a song that is all about justice, pride and peace. Futhermore, every American has their own right to decide whether they want to stand for the national anthem and these athletes are just kneeling or sitting out. They aren’t saying disrespectful things while the anthem is going on or making inappropriate gestures so what is the problem?
Why is it an issue every time a mainstream Black athlete or entertainer speaks on Black issues in America? They have a platform, Colin Kaepernick does not have to speak on these issues at all but he chose to do so and not only is he making a statement with this protest but he also giving money to social justice communites and organizations. If you do not understand the point of what he is doing then thats fine, but respect the fact that he is voicing his opinion and he’s not blatantly disrespecting anyone.
Also, it’s not accurate to say that his protest is disrespecting veteran’s. Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with patriotism or veterans. I feel like many people forget that the majority of people who are in the miliatry nowadays are people of color and are on the same exact page about this helping homeless veterans or veterans who are suffering from severe mental illness, so it doesn’t make sense to put them into the topic of conversation as a defense because there is no connection of that reasoning and the reason why Kaepernick is protesting.
I never hear this amount of outraged towards NFL players whenever they get charged with something that has to deal with violence, especially violence against women. But when its about race and socialy justice? Oh no, that is apparently a BIG problem. Colin Kaepernick and the many other athletes who are participating in this protest just want equal rights for everyone and if its not for you then its not for you but they decided to take their huge platform and use it to create awareness about the injustcies going on in the United States, so let them do that.
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