Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ners. He's recently gained a hell of a lot of attention for refusing to stand during the national anthem in protest to the police brutality and the oppression of people of color. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick said to NFL.com in an interview. Of course a lot of people are not OK with it. Saying that he's rich and shouldn't feel oppressed. But even if he wasn't, that doesn't make anything he's protesting for any less important or true. He is one of other athletes protesting and speaking out against police brutality. Several WNBA players have been fined for wearing shirts in solidarity with Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, recent victims of unjust police violence. Along with three women volleyball players that kneeled for the national anthem
Why I Agree.
Why should I stand for a song that represents a country that has disrespected my people( and other people of color) since it was established? It proves his point, when people are more upset about him exercising his right to sit during the anthem than at the number of black and brown bodies slain at the hands of the American police. I don't have to go into all the sh*tty things American has done and is STILL DOING, because if you live here, then you should know. So, excuse me if I sit when it's time to salute the country that has proved time and time again that it doesn't care about POC.
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Whenever I bring up things that are wrong with America and need to be changed, I get hit with "Other people in other countries have it worse" excuse. I admit that we are lucky to have the liberties that we were awarded when we were birthed as an American citizen, BUT don't you think we have a right to be upset if innocent black and brown people are being gunned down in the name of 'Law and Order' (racism) by killers (cops) that get in no trouble and are basically being told that their actions are okay?? Something must be changed if we can't even walk down the street without being criminalized and(more often than not) killed. So, until those things are changed, protests (peaceful or not) like this will happen and you all can continue to be outraged or you can change. The choice is yours.
