Colin Kaepernick's Argument Against Racism

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We Kneel to Stand Rosa Parks once said, “you must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” One of the most controversial topics in America today is Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick was a quarterback in the National Football League. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is now thirty years old. In college, he attended the University of Nevada, where he set numerous records. In 2011, the San Francisco 49ers drafted him, and he led the team to the Super Bowl less than two years later. On August 14, 2016, Kaepernick sat on the bench during the national anthem, but it went unnoticed. Therefore, his protests had begun even before people recognized it. On August 26, 2016, his protest was acknowledged for the first time. Kaepernick took it upon himself to kneel before the game during the national anthem, and received instant reaction. He was booed by many fans. The following day, he explained why he took a knee. Consequently, Kaepernick began to receive numerous death threats. His protests were called “dumb” and was even compared to flag burning. President Trump responded to Kaepernick’s protest, saying that he should find another country to live in. On March 3, 2017, Kaepernick chose to relinquish his contract with the 49ers. After his actions, others began to kneel during the national anthem. Some of these individuals are Marshawn Lynch, and Michael Bennett. Even people outside of the NFL began to kneel, including college football players, MLB players, and high school teams. Although Kaepernick is without a job, he achieved his goal; to be heard. Those who think Kaepernick kneeled to disrespect the flag, genuinely don’t comprehend the purpose. Over the years, many African Americans have been murdered, and didn’t find justice. Statistics show that nationwide, police shot and killed 492 people in the first six months of this year (Jenkins, Sullivan, Tate, Thebault, “Number of Fatal Shootings”). This article also states that twenty-seven unarmed people were fatally shot. On February 12, 2012, teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. George Zimmerman was twenty-nine at the time of the shooting, and claimed to be a member of the neighborhood-watch. Zimmerman saw Martin walking as he was on his way to purchase skittles and an ice-tea from the local store. Zimmerman called the police, and reported that there was a “suspicious guy” walking in-between houses, and proceeded to tell them Martin was beginning to run. Instead of following the dispatcher’s orders to remain in his vehicle, Zimmerman pursued the teen, and ended up shooting him. It transpired that Martin wasn’t showing any signs of aggressive behavior, and only began to run because he felt he was being followed. Zimmerman was first charged with second-degree murder, but was absolved a month later; leading to protests. Another case that caused havoc in the nation was the shooting of Michael Brown. Brown was an eighteen-year-old black man from Ferguson, Missouri. He was allegedly seen stealing …show more content…
Those who see it this way are not seeing the true meaning behind his efforts. So, if people describe his protest as disrespect, their argument is invalid. There are many reasons for this. One rule states that the flag should never be used as “wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.” Yet, there are many people who have worn the flag as fashion. The next rule states that the flag should never be used as decoration. This makes the claim erroneous, because the flag is used for advertisement on things such as plates, napkins, and cups. Another thing that makes this argument invalid is in the First Amendment. This would be the freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is the right to express one’s ideas and other forms of communication without causing harm to others. Kaepernick protests was unambiguously his right as an American. Looking back on history, this correlates to when the colonies fought against the British to break away from the tyranny and the dreadful oppression they received. They protested to shine a light on the mistreatment they encountered at the hand of the British rule. By taking a stand, the colonies made more people aware, and broke away from the British. By this protest, they established the great country we know as America

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