By Michael Foster-Sanders/campus editor
People are wondering how Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest about injustice turned into a deflection about overpaid, spoiled athletes disrespecting the military, veterans and America.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said it’s not easy for America to talk about white privilege, racism and injustice.
“Why do we have to talk about that? Well, because it’s uncomfortable,” he said. “There has to be an uncomfortable element in the discourse for anything to change.”
Injustice is defined as the absence of justice, the violation of a right or the rights of others.
Oscar Grant, killed while handcuffed; Trayvon Martin, confronted and killed for walking home after going to the store; and Eric Gardner, who was placed in an illegal chokehold, are all examples of injustices caught on tape or audio.
The killers got off with little or no punishment.
Kaepernick decided to use his platform as an NFL celebrity to silently protest these tragedies.
He wanted to sit on the bench because he felt America was not honoring its promise to be the land of the free. But Nate Boyer, a former U.S. Army Green Beret and retired football player, convinced him to kneel instead so there wouldn’t be confusion about disrespecting the military, veterans and fallen soldiers.
“We sort of came to a middle ground where he would take a knee alongside his teammates,” Boyer said. “Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect.”
So why is the narrative continuing that he’s disrespecting the military? Jay Hamm, a sportswriter for the Petty Sports Network, sums up standing up to racism and injustice in America.
“Racism is so American that when we protest racism, the average American assumes we’re protesting America,” he said.
The only way people can learn the facts is to listen and communicate so misinformation won’t spread.
