On August 26th, 2016, before a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench during the playing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick began his protest following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers.
He was spotted by media members and asked about it post game. Here is Kaepernick’s initial response.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … To me, 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.”- Kaepernick
Those were the words, the message behind his protest, before it got hijacked by President Trump. Kaepernick’s peaceful protest was deemed inappropriate, disrespectful and anti-American, by predominantly white Americans.
Following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd and the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old woman from Louisville, Kentucky, at the hands of Police, we as a country find ourselves in the same situation again. This time around we have those who vilified Kaepernick, calling for peaceful protests. It is quite ironic the same group who dragged Kaepernick and hijacked his initial message and actions in 2016 are now calling for protesters to be peaceful.
So with tensions high and white America trying to act as if they are okay with peaceful protests, let’s remember the Kaepernick protest and all the hypocrisy that has transpired from it.
Who and What was Kaepernick Protesting For:
“I couldn’t see another ‘hashtag Sandra Bland, hashtag Tamir Rice, hashtag Walter Scott, hashtag Eric Garner,’ the list goes on and on and on. … At what point do we do something about it? At what point do we take a stand and as a people say this isn’t right? You have a badge, yes. You’re supposed to be protecting us, not murdering us, and that’s what the issue really is and we need to change that.”- Colin Kaepernick
At the core of his message, Kaepernick was simply saying police should not be able to kill unarmed black people without facing consequences. Can’t we all agree on that message?
What should also have been agreed upon was Kaepernick’s method of peacefully protesting. While everyone, particularly white America, has been calling for protests to be peaceful, they did not have that same energy when Kaepernick was kneeling on a football field.
That is where the hypocrisy shines the brightest. Find those who vilified Kaepernick in 2016, and you will find them calling for peaceful protest today. They will also be more outraged with the looting than the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
So don’t let them slide when they say they are all for peaceful protests, because they are lying to save face while calling protesters things and animals. Their racism and hatred remains present, just in a different form.
Addressing the Hijacking of his Protest:
The immediate reaction from people who either didn’t care about his message, or police brutality in general, was that Kaepernick was disrespecting the Military and America. It was hard to get his actual message to those with closed ears, especially after Trump hijacked the protest and turned it into his political gain. But here is Kaepernick addressing the hijacking of his protest.
“The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-men and women of the military, and that’s not the case at all. I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put their selves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech and my freedoms in this country, and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee, so I have the utmost respect for them and I think what I did was taken out of context and spun a different way.”-Colin Kaepernick
Fallout From Ignoring The Peaceful Protests:
For decades white Americans have generally ignored the peaceful protests, because they’re privileged enough to do so. The protest tactics of Martin Luther King Jr. have long been the precedent of how to protest, and with good reason. But let’s not act like he was beloved. Before his death he was one of the most hated people in America. He protested “the right way,” and helped make significant strides in the civil rights movement. And yet he was still killed.
Colin Kaepernick peacefully protested, harmed nobody, called for no violence, and he was dismissed and vilified.
So do I condone the rioting and looting, no. But I also don’t have the gall to sit down and type that peaceful protests are the only ones that should be respected and heard. The truth is, peaceful protests have been taking place for decades and been ignored just as long.
To those that love to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., don’t gloss over this one: “A riot is the language of the unheard.”
Examples of Hypocrisy We See Today:
“How does looting, rioting and destroying your OWN community bring justice for anyone?” asked Fox News personality Tomi Lahren on Twitter. Well let’s also remember Lahren’s comments on Kaepernick kneeling in 2016. Lahren told Kaepernick to “leave” America if “this country disgusts you so much.”
Donald Trump once said “Get that son of a bitch off the field” when asked about Kaepernick’s peaceful protest. Melanie Trump released a statement about the current day protest saying “Our country allows for peaceful protests, but there is no reason for violence.” You see the hypocrisy?
It doesn’t stop there, it can be seen throughout social media, news outlets and companies like ESPN and FOX Sports. I don’t have the time, nor the willingness to dive through them all. But one thing remains constant: when protests for Black Lives Matter and against police brutally take place, a huge portion of white America condemn the protesters, regardless of the style of protest. Y’all have made that very clear over the years.
Closing Thoughts:
Colin Kaepernick reminded us this was wrong every Sunday afternoon, and America chose not to listen.
So this isn’t on the African American protesters to get right, this is on white people. Start to listen. Stand with the oppressed. Help inflict change. If not we will be back here again like the never ending cycle it has become.
But I have little faith in America making the right choice, and even less faith in leadership to help enforce change. So until we make this right, hold on tight because it will only continue.
