On Aug. 26, in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick garnered national attention for sitting down during the national anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game.
Every game since then, Kaepernick has knelt, after hearing from ex-Army Green Beret Nate Boyer that kneeling would be more respectful. Other players around the NFL have chosen to kneel or raise a fist with him.
It seems as if everyone has something to say about Kaepernick and the way that he chose to protest social injustice in our country. Many feel he is right, while others are seething with hatred because of what they feel was a sign of disrespect to our country.
It’s easy to criticize Kaepernick for kneeling, but let’s look at the reasons behind his actions. I understand some people feel what he did is extremely offensive and a sign of disrespect. I personally don’t agree with the way he has gone about it, but I think he may have realized how offended some people might get and that shows how truly dire he felt the situation was. Kaepernick is more than willing to accept the death threats, potential loss of endorsement deals and his job because he feels he needs to call attention to the situation. Isn’t it possible, then, that something could be truly wrong?
A recent Harvard study found that New York City Police officers were more likely to use their hands, push into a wall, use handcuffs, draw weapons, push to the ground, point a weapon and use pepper spray or a baton on African Americans than white citizens. When it comes to shooting, the study found no bias as to whom police fire their weapons at. The study showed racial bias in our police force isn’t quite as bad as most Americans and even Kaepernick may assume; however, the study still concludes that someone’s skin color can lead to them being treated differently.
Yes, many people were offended by what Colin Kaepernick did, but does that make the injustice less important to address? It terrifies me knowing that when someone tries to bring to light our country’s flaws to create positive change, they will become the target of hatred.
In the words of James A. Baldwin, “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” In this case, people who have never been the victims of racial injustice are not necessarily in the best position to dictate to people of color how they should raise concerns about this issue.
That said, no successful civilization can operate without law enforcement, and I have the utmost respect for a high majority of police officers. I think they have some of the toughest jobs in the world. I believe our community policemen and -women deserve our respect.
If police feel unsafe doing their jobs because people are targeting them, that is unacceptable. This is not an either-or situation; both those who serve as police and those who suffer injustice deserve better. Why can’t we come together to affirm that both police lives and black lives matter?
Most police officers do their jobs well. However, there is evidence that police do treat minorities differently than white people, and that is an issue worth addressing.
On Sept. 8, in a game against the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall decided to join Kaepernick and kneel during the national anthem.
He subsequently lost two endorsements and has been the recipient of many expressions of hate, just like Kaepernick. On Sept. 13, Marshall met with Denver Police Chief Robert White to discuss his concerns and explore ways to affect change locally.
I applaud Marshall for his effort to go beyond protest and be part of the solution. It is more difficult to work with others to find solutions. I believe we need to work together to make this country safe for everyone.
Being open to criticism is difficult, but doing so allows our country to grow. If we are open to Kaepernick’s criticism and try to embrace everybody in our society – minorities and police officers, blacks and whites, football players who stand for the national anthem and those who kneel – we can continue to move toward a better country for all.
Kaepernick has said that he doesn’t want to be kneeling forever and hopes that change will occur. The greatness of our country lies in the democratic process of listening to and working with those we might not agree with.
Rather than demonizing each other, let’s work together to come up with solutions we all can live with and will be proud to stand up for.
Seth Marvin-Vanderryn is co-editor in chief at El Diablo, the Durango High School student newspaper. His parents are David Marvin and Judith Vanderryn of Durango.
