How it feels to be American in the 21st century: patriotic, proud, and free…right? In the great United States of America, your individuality and diversity is both respected and accepted…right? Oddly enough, it appears as if some of us U.S. citizens are not included in this infamous American culture. To American society, African Americans have always been equivalent to the step child to a well-knit family; often mistreated and overlooked. Especially with all the past and current cases of police brutality, it’s easy to be convinced that African-Americans are anything but American. Being targeted due to your race doesn’t support the acceptance of individuality and diversity that Americans promote. We’re not the only ones who have witnessed and taken note of this abuse of humanity. NFL San Franscisco 49ers former quarterback Colin Kaepernick has taken a stand—or knee—in the name of social injustice.
About a couple weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers played against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s stadium and per usual, the national anthem was performed. As thousands of people stood with their hands on their hearts in honor of their beloved country, Kaepernick took a knee and opted out of paying his homage. Despite his appearance, Kaepernick has African-American blood streaming through his veins. In an interview following that game, he expressed to NFL Media that he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…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.“
After witnessing that, many disturbed Americans have spoken out on his “disrespect for this country”. Most of the commentary was transmitted through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Many outrageous tweets and posts were conceived in the midst of this commotion such as the image shown below:
While taking in all the factors of how Kaepernick was wrong in his actions, we should consider all the factors in which he was right in his actions.
When you thoroughly examine the history that precedes the notion of the “freedom” the national anthem praises, you will find that that freedom came with exceptions. America’s national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, was written by a Caucasian male named Francis Scott Key in response to the War of 1812 against Great Britain. The inspiration behind the lyrics of the anthem was simply the pride and patriotism in America. U.S. soldiers were celebrating victory and freedom, and the black Americans…were still enslaved. How can one celebrate freedom for its nation when its nation is not necessarily free to its entirety?
Fast forwarding back to modern day living, America has not been a safe environment for black Americans lately. In the past three years alone an estimate of 2,100 black Americans have been murdered by police. The most disheartening fact about those lives is that most of their deaths were left unjustified. Movements like #BlackLivesMatter have been put in formation to help improve the living standards and justice for all black people. Kaepernick is not the only famous U.S. citizen to use his platform to bring awareness to black people’s rights. Other notable individuals who are using their power for good are Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Beyonce, and Kendrick Lamar to name a few.
This protest is spreading widely amongst the professional athletic field. Within the last week, images of other teams have taken the approach of kneeling when the national anthem is being sung has hit the internet. Even images of these people proudly holding up the black power fist, as Tommie Smith and John Carlos had in the 1968 Summer Olympics.
The fight for true freedom for African-Americans in American society continues, but with an immense amount of support from each other within the black community and as long as people of importance utilize their platforms to express how the voiceless are feeling…In the wise words of Kendrick Lamar, “We gon’ be ALRIGHT!”