Martin Luther King Jr. once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Considering how big controversial issues involving race, gender, and religion are today, Dr. King’s statement is still relevant. On Friday, August 26th, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick measured up greatly when he sat down during the national anthem at a preseason game.
On Friday, people across the country were shocked to find out that Kaepernick sat down during the national anthem. After the game, Kaepernick spoke to NFL Media so that the world could understand his actions.
“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’s reasons for sitting down should come as no shock to people who follow him on social media. Kaepernick’s twitter is filled with tweets that criticize racism and our broken justice system. He also tweets about how unfairly the cases of Sandra Bland and Freddie Gray were handled.
Many celebrities including actor Chris Meloni condemned Kaepernick for his public disregard for the flag.
This criticism was expected, of course people will feel the need to speak up if they think Kaepernick was trying to disrespect their country. What was shocking was the fact that many people did this without acknowledging Kaepernick’s reasons for sitting down: racism. Kaepernick made it clear that although he is an American and values what the national anthem stands for, many people do not. America is prided on its freedom and liberty when many minorities like Kaepernick fear that they will never be completely free.
This situation comes just weeks after swimmer Ryan Lochte lied about being robbed at gunpoint while in Rio. A lot of people on Twitter noted that Lochte received more sympathy after acting selfishly than Kaepernick did for trying to help minority communities.
The comparisons of the Lochte scandal and Kaepernick sitting down during the anthem really exemplify white privilege in our country. Lochte’s actions were almost instantly defended in the public when there was no excuse for his actions. Kaepernick was criticized when all he wanted to do was bring about positive change. One thing’s for certain, Kaepernick stood for what he believed was right even though he knew he could potentially be risking a lot. By sitting down during controversy, Colin Kaepernick was standing tall.