Truthdigger of the Week: Colin Kaepernick, for Refusing to Stand During the National Anthem
In his act of protest against racial injustice in the U.S., the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has taken a lot of hits. But he’s not backing down and has succeeded in igniting an important debate.
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Those of us who love the United States must also be brave enough to recognize its flaws and work toward building a better, more inclusive, truly equal nation. Activism is one of the most important means of pushing the crucial changes such a goal requires. With his peaceful protest of racial injustice in the U.S., Kaepernick took a significant risk that could negatively affect his career and that certainly has had a great impact on his public image. Writer Bomani Jones drew a stark distinction between recent calls for peace and the quarterback’s call for justice, writing:
“This wasn’t what Carmelo Anthony and Friends did at The ESPYS, a moment that was important but took great pains to make a statement that offended no one. It wasn’t what the belated Michael Jordan did on this website when he announced he was donating money to groups representing the interests of black people and the police. To paraphrase Peter Tosh, they asked for peace while Kaepernick cried out for justice. That distinction is both subtle and significant.
“Kaepernick even went beyond the WNBA players who stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and asked their league to do the same. He made no plea to both sides, nor did he make a call for unity. He’s not concerned with whether his team or his league has his back. When he could have smoothed over any pending reaction to his actions, he focused squarely on racism, the most consistent and overpowering impediment to black success in America, and the thread that connects every era of its history.
“While the major party candidates for president spent the week pointing at each other with charges of who is or isn’t the real racist, Kaepernick pointed at the flag and, by extension, every person who takes pride in the American flag. And he did so alone, fully aware that backup might never come.”
For speaking out, in actions and in words, against the historical racism that still threatens to tear our nation apart if not truly addressed, Colin Kaepernick is our Truthdigger of the Week.
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Update (Monday): The Associated Press reports: “Obama says he understands Kaepernick’s protest.”
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President Barack Obama says the NFL quarterback who is refusing to stand for the national anthem is the latest in a long line of professional athletes who have exercised their constitutional right to make a statement about social issues. The president was asked at a news conference Monday about Colin Kaepernick’s protest gesture. Obama said he has no doubt that the San Francisco 49ers player is sincere and “cares about some real, legitimate issues.” Kaepernick has been heavily criticized since starting his silent protest. He’s said it’s not an anti-American gesture but a means to bring attention to racial injustice. Obama says he hasn’t paid close attention to the matter. But he adds approvingly that Kaepernick has generated more national conversation about “issues that need to be talked about.”Dig, Root, Grow
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