National Anthem Protests
When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick opted to figuratively “stand up” against alleged oppression of black people in America by not standing for the playing of the national anthem in a pre-season game of the National Football League (NFL), it vividly illustrated the cultural divisions that exist in American society.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people,” the second-string pro player said, in explaining his action after his initial pre-season game protest. Kaepernick’s sit-down protest has continued into the regular season.
Not surprisingly, the Kaepernick protest has led others to emulate him, even beyond the NFL. In Camden, New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson High School Coach Preston Brown and his assistants even took a knee along with their high-school players. The district issued a statement indicating that, while they support “standing for the flag,” it is a “personal issue, and we strongly respect our students’ experiences and their exercising our country’s First Amendment rights.”
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