To Stand Or Not To Stand
posted by Daniel Martin | October 20, 2016 | In OpinionOne of the hottest debates going around today is if San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is wrong for not standing during the national anthem before games as a pregame protest of racial oppression and inequality. Kaepernick’s sitting in the National Football League preseason has morphed into the current form of kneeling. Other athletes from the NFL have started to take part in this protest.
It has even reached woman’s soccer with U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe who was the first athlete to partake in the protest. Rapinoe said to ESPN: “Being gay, I have stood with my hand over my heart during the national anthem and felt like I haven’t had my liberties protected, so I can absolutely sympathize with that feeling.”
I was very conflicted with the protest because I served in the United States Army faithfully for fifteen years, so, like a lot of military personnel, I believe you need to stand for the anthem and the flag.
However, I started to look at it from their point of view and came to the conclusion that I get what they are trying to do.
But then pictures would come out of athletes kneeling, and it would strike a nerve in me and I would be unsure again.
These few things made me feel the need to ask others for their opinions. One person that I have spoken to a few times on this matter has been Fayetteville State communication professor Brandi Berry. Professor Berry brought up some good points, such as she said: “With this protest, there needs to be a goal.” She also said, “Maybe these players that are kneeling should have a goal in mind of when they will end said protest.”
In an article on ABC news, NBA star Dwayne Wade and cops in Miami rode bikes to promote unity. Wade said, “I really reached out to the police department for them to be a part of this, to really drive home unity with the police as well in the community.”
The thing that has stood out to me in recent weeks is even though black people are still being shot by cops, the peaceful silent protest that athletes have been making people talk about the issues at hand.
Regardless if you agree or disagree with the protest, people are starting to look at the real issue. Even what I may feel in the act of the protest doesn’t matter. We need to find a solution and find it quick. What matters is something has to change. If kneeling brings eyes on the issue and a possible change, then so be it because something has to give.
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