Black Lives Matter: “Taking a Knee” is Not About the Flag

By William R. Freeman (M.Div.‘01)

A recent sports article by Timothy T. Ludwig in “USA TODAY” starts off with these words, “In August 2016 Colin Kaepernick sat on the bench while the national anthem played during a preseason game for the San Francisco 49ers.  It went unnoticed at first for two games before a photo from Jennifer Lee Chan of Niners’ Nation showed the quarterback sitting on the bench during the anthem in the 49ers’ third preseason game of 2016.”

The article goes on to say that Mr. Kaepernick told the media he chose to sit in protest of the injustice and oppression of people of color in the United States; as well as the ongoing issues of police brutality and murders of young African American males.

This act by a National Football League (NFL) quarterback to emphasize the lack of justice for the families of young black males murdered by police in Utah, Missouri, New York, Ohio, California, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas as well as many other states have, in recent months, been co-opted by the president of the United States and subsequently the NFL. To stoke the fire further, the president, at a rally in Alabama, stated that the NFL should fire the “sons of bitches” who kneel or sit during the playing of the National Anthem. Since 70-percent of NFL players are African American this most derogatory term struck a nerve that has caused more and more NFL players, black and white, to stand and/or kneel at almost every NFL game. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, the president knows that calling somebody a “son of a bitch” are fighting words.

But, you see, what the president, NFL owners, commissioner, and perhaps someone reading this article needs to understand is Mr. Kaepernick’s, or any other NFL player, sitting or kneeling is not in disrespect of the flag. No, this protest is about justice, or, the lack thereof. This protest is about equal protection under the law for young black males. This protest is to keep the focus on the fact that even with video cameras rolling, most police officers go unpunished when the person they shoot is a young black male.

Lastly, in recent weeks and months, a few NFL owners have shown support for the cause.  Also, an entire German soccer team “took a knee” before a game, echoing the NFL protest. This protest, and others like it, will continue to grow until America faces the fact that racism is alive and well in what is the greatest country on earth.