I 100 percent support anyone in our country who full heartedly stands up for what they believe in. It’s an incredibly brave thing to do. It is empowering for someone to openly go against the norm, the authorities, the motions that have been set in stone for years on end. More often than not, society falls into the group think effect where everyone just agrees to avoid controversy. It's uplifting to know that there are those brave people out there who speak up, who stand up. With that being said, there are two keywords that I want you to emphasize on. STAND UP.

As many of you know, it is now trending to take a knee during the national anthem to raise awareness on police violence and racial inequality. These athletes kneeling are expecting a respectful acknowledgment but how could you even expect it when you are disrespecting the one thing America holds most honorable? Our national anthem was created by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after the British bombarded Fort McHenry. He glanced out a peep hole the morning after the battle and saw the American flag waving gallantly in the distance. Fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, fiancés and boyfriends died during that battle trying to protect the freedom each and every one of us holds today. There have been so many more deaths throughout history of people fighting for what that song and that flag represents. You stand up in honor of those fallen soldiers, you stand up for those people who selflessly gave their life for you to have yours today. You stand up.

The point in any protest is to get your point across in a positive way so that the other side can see where you are coming from and try to come to a compromise. Congratulations, your point is out there nationwide but I promise you this, it is not being viewed in a positive aspect. You have done nothing but enrage millions of Americans and that level of negativity will only create a more hostile environment regarding what you are standing up (or kneeling down) for. STAND UP. Children look up to you, other athletes respect you, adults embrace you. Stand up. If you hate America that much and don’t care for your freedom or the people who gave up their lives fighting for that, then take this as your personal invitation to leave. That is the beauty of America, you have the freedom to go wherever your heart desires. Pack your bags and find a place more suitable for your obvious careless disrespect.

You say you are protesting misconduct from the police against a certain race? There are better ways to be heard, there are more honorable and respectful ways to get your point across. First of all, you are a spectacle seen on national television. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO BE HEARD NATIONALLY. Take a mature, respectful outlook on the situation and call a press conference, if it really means that much to you then maybe you could protest by sitting out of a game or two. Let me guess, you would never do that though because it’s not worth losing the money over right? But it’s worth disgracing America for? We are all so disappointed in what happened with Ryan Lochte in Rio because he embarrassed our country but yet, we have Americans embarrassing this country every day on our own soil with their national disrespect. So many children watch in awe as they learn key factors of life from athletes like you. If you can’t stand up for me, for America, then stand up for that little girl or boy in the stands who is counting down the days until they can be just like you. Give them something positive to look up to, to believe in.

“I raise up my voice not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back” –Malala Yousafza

In order for what you are wishing to ever be accomplished, we first have to take away the image of color. The image that you might be black and I might be white. Question how does my skin color categorize what kind of person I am? We need to break the habit of categorizing each other because I am not white and you are not black, we are HUMAN and that is how the world should see it. For those mindsets to be set in place however, we have to stop creating this war of the races. It’s not the police starting it, it’s not the media, it's US. It’s SOCIETY as a whole. Stop teaching the children that they are their skin color. Stop having us categorize ourselves on applications as white, Asian, African American. We are who we are raised to be, not our exterior layer. The change has to come from us, all of us, together as one. It has to come from a positive mindset that spreads like wildfire, not negativity that causes utter chaos. Society needs unity and to reach that level of togetherness we ALL must accept each other as humans and not relate by race. Please take a broader look on this issue. Let’s work towards a resolution instead of creating another conflict.

I am well aware that this article will be nothing to some and brushed over by many but that’s OK. It’s OK because no matter how much you disrespect the flag, the national anthem and America, our soldiers will overlook it. The people who previously did, have been and will in the future continue to put their life on the line to protect you, your rights and the flag you disrespect. That is what America is. We forgive those who hurt us and we respect those who don’t respect us. So don’t worry, keep kneeling but just know our troops will keep protecting, keep fighting but most importantly keep standing for ALL of us.