Tuesday, September 13, 2016

I Kneel With Kap

As a man of color living in a metropolis with a population of over 9 million I understand the obstacles that law enforcement faces day in and day out in the effort to keep the population safe; and I applaud the officers who do their jobs the right way. The officers that don't are the ones that make Colin Kaepernick's protest necessary. The officers that get away with reckless behavior is what angers the people that officers are sworn to protect. What Kaepernick is doing should not insult anyone who do things right. The history of this country is not nice to people of color (and that's putting it extremely lightly) and with this being 2016 and not 1956 it's a shame that this is still an issue. A lot is being made by the manner in which Kaepernick is protesting instead of the focus being on why he's protesting and again being a man of color who has been racially profiled by police officers in the past I've been through the frustrations that Kaepernick is protesting against.

Professional athletes are put in weird situations. People expect them to stand up and express concern over social issues a la Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar in years past, but when they do many others want to shout them down and hold them to "talking about sports". These are the athletes that you want your kids to look up to up until they're sitting or kneeling through the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick is using his platform to get attention to the issues that he's concerned about and that's the right that he has as an American. Professional athletes need to use their platform and spread the message of equality for all as the pledge of allegiance of this great country suggests.