The Howard University athletic department has joined in on Colin Kaepernick’s history-making movement in protest against police brutality in the African-American community.
As high school, college and professional athletes across the country continue to follow Kaepernick’s lead in hopes of spreading awareness about the lack of lawmakers efforts to implement police reform or deliver justice for Black lives lost at the hands of cops, the nation’s most prestigious HBCU is adding to the conversation. The Howard University football team took to the field for their most high profile game of the year over weekend as they faced long-time rivals Hampton University, but it was the actions of student-athletes beforehand that made for an unforgettable moment.
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In a powerful photo that soon went viral on social media, the Howard University cheerleaders are seen kneeling during the national anthem — a show of solidarity for Kaepernick and the protest against police brutality.
.@HowardU taking a knee during the national anthem at Nation's Football Classic: pic.twitter.com/Lx1MI0rcan
— WPGC 95.5 (@WPGC) September 17, 2016
It’s unclear whether or not the Howard University football team or any of the Hampton University athletes were also a part of the protest from just looking at the photo, but salute to the Howard U cheerleading team for using their platform to take a stand.