The Untold Story Behind National Anthem Protests
The Irony in the Argument Against These Peaceful Protests
On August 26, 2016, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback sat on the bench during the national anthem. His name was Colin Kaepernick, and he sparked a movement of U.S national anthem protests.
The Significance Behind the Kneel
Kneeling during the national anthem is a way of protesting a flag that does not live up to the ideals of freedom and equality that it is supposed to represent. Recently, provoked by the murder of George Floyd, kneeling has become globalized and perpetuated through the sports community. However, whether it is kneeling, blockades, or iconoclasm there will always be disagreements over whether or not civil disobedience is the right thing to do. Instead of focusing on the issues of civil disobedience, why do we not focus on the real issue at hand? The racial injustice that is deep-rooted in our society.
Criticism
The national anthem to many people is a way of paying tribute to those who sacrifice their lives for their country. Standing during it is a sign of respect and patriotism. The response to Kaepernick kneeling was divided. For some, protesting the treatment of black people and minorities by figures of authority was inspirational; to others, his act was disrespectful to the United States and Armed Forces.
Origin
Much of the criticism aimed at Kaepernick cited disrespect to the military, as a primary problem with his approach. It is therefore seemingly paradoxical that the origin of kneeling in protest was actually sparked by a member of the United States Army Special Forces and Former Seahawks player Nate Boyer. Kneeling was not Kaepernick’s original idea, he had actually started by sitting on the bench.
In an interview with HBO’s Real Sports Boyer stated:
“We sorta came to a middle ground where he would take a knee alongside his teammates. Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect. When we’re on a patrol, you know, and we go into a security halt, we take a knee, and we pull security.”.
Kaepernick moved from sitting to kneeling after talking to Boyer. He was still protesting police brutality with the intention of supporting his teammates and members of the military.
Return of the Kneel
It seemed like the kneeling protests had lost momentum — Kaepernick was blacklisted because of his protests by the NFL and has not played again professionally. The sequence of events related to police brutality in 2020 culminating in the death of George Floyd catalyzed protests all over the world against the systemic racism built into many societies.
The symbol used in all of these: kneeling.
The inspiration for this: Colin Kaepernick.
We now see this used not only by civilians but in many other sports including basketball, soccer, baseball, and hockey. There are few actions with as wide exposure because popular culture icons (basketball players, football players etc.) are covered by the news, television, and social media. This form of civil disobedience makes a strong statement and proves to be powerful and efficacious.
In Summary
The main arguments against national anthem protests seem flawed; they have been proven to be impactful, unifying, and respectful to players and members of the military. We can show our support for these sports figures, however let us go beyond that and carve our own paths to fight against systemic racism. If there is anything we can learn from Colin Kaepernick, it is that even small actions can make large impacts.
