For the past few months, we've seen a landslide of different stories coming out of news outlets sponsored by the American media collective, and one of the most galvanizing stories deals with a backup quarterback who decided to stay seated for our national anthem.
Colin Kaepernick, during a preseason game, stayed seated to protest the treatment of black men and women across the United States by members of the police force, such as the deaths of Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, and Eric Garner, as well as Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice.
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Naturally, there was a huge public outcry, and the nation was fiercely divided over the issue, with many people saying that he was "disrespecting the military and the flag that they fight for", as well as being "ungrateful" or "attention seeking".
He was none of those things.
Colin Kaepernick has stated that he loves this country, and that he has absolutely no intention of disrespecting the military. He protests the injustices that he sees.
I support him. And I'm not the only one. As of now, several other players are following his lead, such as defensive back Jeremy Lane of the Seattle Seahawks, and Brandon Marshall of the Cleveland Browns. Megan Rapinoe, a player for the United States Women's National Soccer Team, also took a knee.
These people are exercising their constitutional right of Free Speech, something that's stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Personally, I think it's pretty hypocritical of the people saying that he should be made to stand, when they themselves are trying to deny him that right to expression.
There are problems in this country that need addressing, and this is the time to do that. Thanks to social media, we're more connected than ever, and it makes it that much easier to organize a movement nationwide. We can do so much more than our parents and grandparents could. We can use the voices we have and literally change the way we live, and how we act as a country.
If what we needed was a man who plays football to sit through the national anthem, then that's perfect. He's given us a new platform. It's time we used it.
