In discussing issues of race relations, it is important to set aside initial judgments in favor of facts. Over 730 African American have been killed by police force in 2016. For reference, 991 African American people were killed by police officers in 2015 and there are still 2 more months of 2016 to go. With this in mind, during the NFL preseason this year, Colin Kaepernick chose to sit during the national anthem. When asked by the media why he was sitting, he explained, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…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.” Kaepernick ultimately shifted his protest into kneeling rather than sitting, in an attempt to show more respect to the men and women who risk their lives for our country.
Kaepernick has become not only the most hated player in the league, according to E-Poll Marketing Research, but also the most talked about athlete in America. While this movement’s backlash has been led by former players and sports analysts, more and more players have been joining the protest every week. One of Kaepernick’s critics, Boomer Esiason, stated, “I cannot say it in the strongest, most direct way, that it’s an embarrassment and it’s about as disrespectful as any athlete has ever been and I don’t care what the cause is. The NFL football field is not a place for somebody to further their political ambitions.” Along with public criticisms, Kaepernick has received countless death threats, to which Kaepernick responded “To me, if something like that were to happen, you’ve proved my point, and it will be loud and clear for everyone why it happened, and that would move this movement forward at greater speed than what it is even now.”
Anyone who opposes this protest is either blind to the racial injustice that surrounds us, or is a supporter of that injustice. This is incredibly clear to anyone that looks through their Twitter feed or news reel, only to see another person of color, regardless of innocence, shot and killed by a police officer seemingly every week. In light of this reality, Ebenezer Samuel from the New York Daily News puts it best, “All the arguments against Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest are starting to sound the same… criticism that refuses to recognize or understand what a protest is, or why it works in the first place.” People like Boomer Esiason make the claim that this isn’t the right place to protest, but if not, then where is? People like Esiason are so closed minded to the real issue Kaepernick is fighting for that they bring up arguments of patriotism and disrespect to the country. However, Kaepernick’s kneeling only proves even more his respect for the military and the country while still getting his point across. Those who oppose the protest are either shielding their eyes from the reality that Kaepernick wishes to present, or they are all too aware of the reality, and they wish no change.
This lesson could not be of more importance to our community. Many University School students come from privileged, white, wealthy backgrounds. I do not mean these to discredit our community members, it is purely truth of their circumstances. Indeed, I find myself in this majority, and along with my peers, I cannot say I fully understand the plight of those made victims by systemic racism over hundreds of years. However, as a community, we can and should do our best to acknowledge injustices, and support those who are unfairly mistreated by the rest of society. Colin Kaepernick is doing his damnedest to show to all Americans that there is structurally something wrong with the system and it needs to change. I stand, rather than kneel with Kaepernick. It is time that our community does too.