America takes pride in being a nation dedicated to its people. They take pride in being a democratic nation where citizens are allowed to protest against the government to enforce change. However, they did not stand by these principles in 2016 when Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem. This event caused a lot of backlash, with many fans calling this act disrespectful towards the United States’ army, but really, Kaepernick’s decision to kneel as an effective form of protest.

One of these people who believed that this act was disrespectful to the US army is Drew Brees, an NFL player who has many family members that have served in the army. In August 2016, he told ESPN that “[Kaepernick] can speak out on a very important issue” in other peaceful methods that “doesn't involve being disrespectful to the American flag”. However, the people who agree with Brees do not recognize the fact that the national anthem represents America as a whole and not just specifically the army. Therefore, when Kaepernick or any other athletes kneel, they are protesting the nation as a whole, not specifically the army. Colin Kaepernick specifically explained why he did not stand, stating that "[he is] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." (NFL) Colin Kaepernick was not responsible enough to explain himself. However, the United States did have a responsibility to protect Kaepernick for using his First Amendment Rights, which they did not fulfill, and instead, this nation shunned Kaepernick for his bold actions.

By exercising his First Amendment Rights, Kaepernick raised awareness and had the whole nation talking about police brutality. In America, where the media is saturated, many individuals have a platform to speak their opinion; however, making a big impact on social issues is very hard, and most of the time, it is impossible. Many individuals, including celebrities, use the media to promote social justice and many times go unnoticed, but when Kaepernick took a bold action that cost him his career, heads turned around. It inspired other NFL players to stand for social justice too. Before he refused to stand during the national anthem, Kaepernick was not even a starting quarterback, and he barely had any media coverage; this quickly changed when he started kneeling during the national anthem. For instance, shortly after his protests, his jersey became one of the top-selling jerseys in the NFL.

Kaepernick was what America needed amid uncertainty because it created a community in America where people could feel safe not only to walk the streets at night knowing that they will be safe from the police, but also a community where people would feel safe utilizing their First Amendment Rights. Children look up to athletes like Kaepernick as role models, aspiring to be them. Therefore, through kneeling, Kaepernick utilized his platform as an athlete in the best way possible and became one of America’s superheroes.

황채린 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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