The San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem to protest “police brutality and racial injustice.” His choice resulted in an extravagant amount of backlash from the public, however, he continued to kneel (Dyson). Kaepernick’s courage to continue kneeling despite the protest of the public has allowed me to discuss social injustices with others and caused Americans to become more aware of the injustices across the country (Wilder).
Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the National Anthem represents his courage to persevere in times of trouble in hopes of benefiting the nation. When asked why he chose to kneel, Kaepernick states 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. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” (Dyson). By publicly protesting the poor treatment of African Americans and people of color, he has increased awareness of the issue which can benefit the country. Following the first time he kneeled, he has been “accused of being unpatriotic, a traitor…show more content… People across America have varied opinions on the actions of Colin Kaepernick. Yet despite their opinions, his choices have caused an increase in the amount of people discussing the treatment towards people of color. Personally, I have had multiple conversations with people who believe Kaepernick’s actions were unpatriotic and selfish. Although I can see how kneeling may be considered unpatriotic, the reason he did it proves his patriotism. By attempting to increase mindfulness to the cruel treatment of minorities, Kaepernick shows his patriotism to the country he loves by criticizing and trying to improve
