On Aug 14 Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49er QB took a knee during the singing of the National Anthem in response to police brutality. However, his act of silent protest went unnoticed until the 49ers third preseason game nearly two weeks later. Since then, numerous athletes, celebrities and everyday people have joined as an act of solidarity. The first two athletes to take a knee with Kapernick were, Jeremy Lane and Eric Reid.
Unfortunately, many believe the NFL is penalizing Colin Kaepernick’s act of civil disobedience by not hiring him on to a team— in an organization made of 70 percent Black players. Despite leading his team to the Super Bowl, no NFL team has signed him this season. This has revealed the organization’s larger issue of institutional racism given extra credit with President Donald Trump’s malicious remarks.
Most recently, while giving a joint press conference with the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy about Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico he went on to call his issues with the NFL an “important situation.” Earlier, during a speech in Alabama, Trump called NFL players choosing to participate in protesting the National Anthem, “sons of bitches.” A day later, he attempted to clear up his statement by saying, “It’s not about race.”
Despite our leader’s debase words and misplaced priorities, we’re continuing to take a knee in unity. We’ve kept a close tabs on the evolution of Colin Kaepernick’s take a knee silent protest in the above video.