Good evening everyone. As most of you know, I am not a football dude. So I won’t even pretend that I am. This post is strictly about the backlash that San Francisco 49’ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is getting for his sitting down during the national anthem. He did so, in protest of the numerous amount of unarmed Black people who have been killed by the police. While some have shown support, a number of loud and wrongheaded voices have made themselves heard in an attempt to shout down Kaepernick.
The racial slurs, over the top animosity, and jersey burning sessions show us all ugly images of a country that is unwilling to face the truth of the present time. People are showing their callousness, and authoritarian instincts when they place more emphasis on showing reverence for a violent, nationalistic tune than getting upset about people’s lives being snuffed out. While engaging in these issues is not easy, it remains necessary. I support the stance of Colin Kaepernick, and see the conversation around his actions as revealing. As long as this country reacts in such a caustic fashion towards the actions of its Black citizens, it will be increasingly difficult to come to any type of common ground.