Kneeling to Speak
By: Rhianna Dozier
Soldiers risk their lives every day to fight to keep the nation free. They fight for liberties and privileges that people abuse every day. On September 1st, 2016, Colin Kaepernick used his "privilege" of free speech to show his disrespect and disinterest in the nation's progress with African Americans' rights. The 49ers quarterback kneeled during the National Anthem of a game. Kaepernick states that he did not want to stand and show his pride and support in a country that mistreated African Americans. Kaepernick stresses that to appreciate the National Anthem, you must understand everything it stands for. The National Anthem honors all the liberties that citizens in the United States possess. Kaepernick especially struggled with this part of the anthem because he claims that if every citizen is "free," then why is it that colored people are lying dead in the street, getting blamed before being proven innocent, and being paid unequally in the workplace? Kneeling during the National Anthem is Kaepernick's right as a citizen to express his frustration.
After Kaepernick first kneeled during the anthem, other African American players began to follow his lead. Fans and other teams were appalled by their actions. The press was attacking the 49ers head coach asking how he could let his team disrespect our nation. The head coach, Chip Kelly, told reporters that it is Colin's right to kneel. He is a public figure, and he can use his platform however he pleases to speak out against sensitive issues.
The Kaepernick incident is the most well-known case in the NFL; however, if the NFL continues to ban players for using their First Amendment rights, then the NFL is going to have a bigger problem on its hands. Because the issue was so controversial, the 49ers decided to let him go because they were losing sponsorships and receiving too much bad publicity. After he was released from the 49ers, the NFL banned him from joining any other team.
Comments
Post a Comment