Lately there has been a movement of protest. This protest started in the NFL with professional football player (now ex-professional football player), Colin Kaepernick. He decided to kneel, during the national anthem before one of the games. In a silent protest. After he started this, hundreds of other players, coaches and owners alike joined in.
This is for those people, but quite specifically, Mr. Colin Kaepernick.
Let me tell me you something. I am from a military family. I grew up with soldiers all around me, who taught me to respect those men and women who died for our country. To stand when they honor them, to thank them for risking their life to give me my freedom, to stand when they play our nation’s anthem because our freedom, isn’t free.
Here’s the thing, I am okay with protest. It is a first amendment right, it is freedom. But, Mr. Kaepernick, that freedom came with a price. It came with my uncle coming home with stab wounds all over his body and scars in his memory. It came with my grandpa losing both his legs never being able to stand for that song. He always tried to though. But you, you chose to kneel. In other countries, where there is no freedom, you would have already been arrested or killed. But not in America. You can kneel all you want. It’s just funny you’re against the country that gave you the right to put that knee down without a legal or deadly repercussion.
When asked why you kneeled, you said, “I want to help make America better.” That sounds oddly familiar don’t you think? Better is pretty close to great again. What gave you or anyone else the power or right to come and decide, that America is the worst, but you, will singlehandedly make it all better but not by working for it, no, by kneeling.
Wake. Up. No, better yet, Stand. Up. Work for it. If you want to make it better, why don’t you donate some of those millions you make to charities, to help our youth have the resources for a better future. Why not that the time out of you day to go to the hard neighborhoods across the country and be a mentor for success. Tell them they can do it and teach them how to. Why not go out and do speeches, spread love and solutions. Why not work for that change? Mr. Kaepernick, you made 12 million dollars this past year and none of it went to a good, charitable cause. None of it went to making America, “better”.
The point is, keep kneeling if in your heart you think that’s powerful. You think that it is okay to kneel for something people have died to protect. But, here is the real message you should be sending.
Nothing will be done if there isn’t hard work and dedication to back it up. If you want that change, go out and really fight and made a hands-on difference. Because if you think we need to be better, I don’t think you’re wrong, but I do believe more in hard work.
Simply, Stand up Mr. Kaepernick.
Work for it.
All my best,
Your fellow, hardworking and proud, American.