Seneca McMillan... On Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick, an American football quarterback, began
kneeling during the national anthem last preseason to
protest police brutality towards African Americans. Since
then his mission has become a national movement dividing
people along racial and political party lines.
Kaepernick, is currently a free agent, unable to secure a
contract in the prime of his career. The symbolism of his
kneeling has been perceived as divisive and an affront to
the American flag. Despite his numerous
attempts to redirect the narrative to
police brutality, he hasn’t been able
to escape the political firestorm that
has attached to his message. Trying to
separate politics and sports is impossible.
From a poor sports fan’s perspective,
they just want to see the game and enjoy disconnecting
from the real world by emotionally involving themselves
in a slice of American pie. But as a former player, it’s a
platform to have a voice where we do not otherwise have
one.
kid when he triumphantly walks or is carried from the field.
The NFL has decided that now Colin’s kneeling is derogatory
and their voices of complaint are loud and strong.
Where are those voices when young men are beaten and
killed in the streets? Unfortunately, we no longer have a voice
in the White House that speaks to the country when those
things happen. Instead, the current president has joined the
narrative calling the peaceful protestors out of their names.
He has encouraged their employers to fire
them should the peaceful p rotests continue
yet he found the violent protestors in
Charlottesville to be “very fine people.”
“Trying to separate
politics and sports is
impossible.”
Also, as an African American, it pains me to know that I
live in a country where peaceful protest is frowned upon. I
can’t help but think that it’s only because those players are
black. In sports, particularly youth leagues, taking a knee
was a sign of respect. When a player is injured on the field,
children all over the country take a knee and applaud that
I love this country as much as anyone and
am grateful for the opportunities afforded
to me, but I cannot sit quietly by and be silent when something
truly wrong is happening. I salute the players in their protest
and encourage their detractors to see beyond the knee into
the true meaning behind it. If you genuinely want to see
healing in this country it cannot be done with hate. And one
of the greatest ways to begin the healing is by recognizing in
it something we all love – sports. Unfortunately, this discussion
is far from over and because of this country’s leadership, I
fear that it will not end well. I see a country where all of the
potential in the world will not manifest until we can put our
personal agenda’s aside and seek true healing for everyone,
not the privileged few.