In recent news, there have been controversial discussions regarding San Francisco's 49'ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick and his decision to sit during the National Anthem. By doing so, he sparked conversations that enflamed those across the United States.
The sides are divided: Do you agree or disagree with his actions?
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Kaepernick's reasons for sitting during the National Anthem was a bold, yet resilient movement that got everyone to engage with their innermost thoughts on what is right and what is wrong.
In an article by the NFL, Kaepernick shares why he refused to stand for the National Anthem.
Listen up and listen closely:
"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 told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Here are some of the responses of people that disagreed with his actions:
(Please note that these statements have been circulating the Internet and in person conversations)
“For someone who is making about 19 million a year, he sure is OPPRESSED”
His movement is not about how much he is making a year, matter of fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with how much he is making. Kaepernick refuses to stand for the National Anthem because he wants to make a statement to the people of America that police brutality is real. In no way did he state that he, himself, is oppressed. He makes this statement for people of color who are generally targeted by the police because of their skin color.
“Colin Kaepernick is HALF-WHITE, why is he excluding that part of him?”
Here is a fun fact. Did you know that you don’t have to be full black or a minority to stand for the racial injustices in America? Let that sink in. Isn’t it amazing at how you can be white or in his case, half black/white to stand up for what is right.
Even Grey’s Anatomy star, Jesse Williams received backlash from his speech at the BET awards on the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Some claimed that he was ‘embarrassing’ his white mother when he talks about black women:
“Now, this is also in particular for the black women in particular who have spent their lifetimes dedicated to nurturing everyone before themselves. We can and will do better for you.”
Do you really, honestly, think that Jesse William’s mother was upset? Her son is using his platform to speak on these civil rights issues. C’mon now.
Back to what I was saying, the next point people are making is:
“How can Kaepernick sit during the National Anthem when there are people overseas fighting for his right to sit.”
Actually, the constitution allows his right to sit, not necessarily the military. Kaepernick's response to that is:
“I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. This country isn’t holding up their end of the bargain… men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That’s not right"
In light of it all- If you haven’t already, please search the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick
Here are a few examples to tickle your fancy:
Twitter: @Baltic_Avenue
Twitter: GenuinelySpoken
Twitter: JoeOnDemand
To close this off, my utmost favorite line of them all is:
“If you don’t think America is great or cannot stand for the National Anthem & Pledge of Allegiance: Then why don’t you just leave the country?”
Here's the thing: yes, we have the option to leave, but we can't just leave. We cannot just abandon a country that was built on the backbone of immigrants, slaves, and Native Americans. Leaving the country would be equivalent to turning your back on decades and decades of oppression and racism. I hope that eventually that in the United States, we will come to a consensus and agreement that all hate crimes by the police & others must be held accountable for.
However, of course we as a whole would love for America to be great. A place where people are not constantly being discriminated for the color of their skin or criticized for having different beliefs. After all, isn't America supposed to be a place of freedom?
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