Jaclyn Harding
English Composition 1
21 November 2017
Kneeling for the Anthem Colin Kaepernick, who is a bi-racial man grew up relatively privileged, but felt he was disconnected from his ethnic background. In college Kaepernick joined an all-black fraternity, and was a social activist early on. He became aware of the many challenges that African American men had to endure while in college. When police violence against African American males became spiraling out of control, Kaepernick decided he was going to protest by sitting on the bench on the sideline, until one day after a discussion with a veteran they both concluded that instead on sitting during the National Anthem, Kaepernick would kneel. Many of the fans where not …show more content…
This movement has now moved to almost all professional sports. It is no surprise that this protest is being portrayed as disrespectful to our military. In reality, as long as we Americans continue to treat people different based on their ethnic background, we have failed to fulfill the promises associated with the constitution. The question people should be asking is not “why did Kaepernick kneel?”, but “Why didn’t more people kneel?”
Works Cited
Hatendi, Natasha. “Sports & Politics: 27 Woke Athletes Who’ve Taken a Stand.” Essence. 7 September 2016. Https://www.essence.com/celebrity/black-athletes-take-stand-protest. Accessed 21 November 2017.
Wyche, Steve. “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat During National Anthem.” NFL.com, 27 August 2016. Https://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem. Accessed 21 November 2017.
Flaherty, Bryan. “From Kaepernick sitting to Trump’s Fiery Comments: NFL’s Anthem Protests Have Spurred Discussion.” The Washington Post, 24 September 2017. Https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/sports/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protests-and-NFL-activism-in-quotes/?utm_term=.276f201e5e12. Accessed 21